The End Of The Road
by Tempremental'Bones
Summary: OC Fic - In the movies there's always a hero or heroine who makes it out alive and in video games there's tricks, cheats and if you die, you just give that little reset button a push and start right where you left off. Too bad in the real world; when you're faced with a hoard of zombies, you can't push the reset button. Original Character, eventual meet up with TWD group.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except who I bring in from my imagination!**_

_**A.N: This is going to stay a one shot most probably, depending on the reviews it generates?**_

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In the movies there's always a hero or heroine who makes it out alive despite the danger they're faced with from whatever monster or murderer or bad guy they're up against.

In video games there's tricks, cheats and if you die, you just give that little reset button a push and start right where you left off.

Too bad in the real world; when you're faced with a hoard of zombies, you can't push the reset button and change strategy or the route that you take. So now as they continue move closer and the stench of their decayed flesh invades my senses I shield the one reason I'm still living and hope that my body will give her enough time to get away.

I open fire with whatever ammo I have remaining and they fall like dominoes as the 'POP, POP, POP' of gunfire rings out like a chainsaw to the ears. A maniacal laugh follows suit from my throat and I hear scrambling from above as they scream at me to pass my most precious possession up to their waiting hands of safety.

Not that I own her; it's more that she owns me, heart and soul, but it's our blood bond that makes it hard for me to let go because my fate is sealed and I just want to get every last moment before the devil takes my soul into his burning embrace.

Hot tears stream freely down my cheeks as the clicking of my gun signals that my time is finally up. I turn to face her and look into those beautiful brown orbs for what I know is the last time and she hugs me hard. I use my last remaining strength to hoist her up into their outstretched arms which capture her easily.

She is safe and that's all I care about!

The first bite is more painful than I expected, but as quickly as his teeth had sunk in, they had been removed by a loud bang and his head exploded before my eyes. I looked up into the black eyes of the cowboy saviour who was too late and too stupid to realise I was past the point of no return. My number was up and the everlasting battle between the devil and my soul was finally at its end.

I turned to face the beast and look him in the eye and I hope he chokes on me!

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_**A.N: Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is very much appreciated!**_


	2. Chapter 2

A few weeks prior...

The door swung open crashing into the wall and shaking the bones of the old farm house.

"Get packing we're leaving in 20 minutes!" the old woman yelled.

"Grandma, why can't we just stay here?"

The old lady looked around the room with sentimental eyes; as if reprinting it to memory, before turning her steely gaze back onto the young woman.

"It isn't safe here anymore. Those things are becoming more and more frequent each day." Came her fear tinged reply. She nodded and did ad she was told. When her grandmother gave her the look, she knew she was deadly serious. "And check on your sister when you're done. I'm going to make sure we have enough supplies for the journey."

She zipped up her rucksack and small carry case and headed for the little girls room to make sure she was packing only what she needed.

"Hey boo." She said as she entered. She found the little girl staring out of the heavily curtained window, a faraway look in her eyes and her bottom lip began to quiver, but she sucked in a big gasp of air to stop herself from crying.

Crying was considered a weakness and there was no room for weakness if you wanted to succeed in this household!

"Hey. It's not so bad. We're just going somewhere a little safer that's all." She tried to sound as light hearted as possible as she moved towards the child. She turned the youngster to face her. "Lilly, we're always gonna be together. See..." she fingered the chain around her neck holding it up. "...These mean we can never lose each other..." the little girl held hers up. "...because they only fit perfectly with each other." Lilly smiled and grabbed her into an embrace.

"You promise we'll always be together?" she questioned.

"I do."

"Forever, Olivia?"

"I promise!"

She hated lying to the little girl because nobody lived forever. Death is inevitable. You can't run from it, you can't fight it and no matter how hard you try, you can't beat it.

But for as long as she lived she'd make sure that Lilly thought forever was at least a possibility.

They were so lost in their moment of sisterhood that they didn't hear the old woman coming upon them and her voice startled the two, making them jump into high alert.

"The cars packed and ready..." she focused her eyes on them suspiciously."...You all done or what?"

"Yes grandma." Lilly replied zipping her small purple suitcase and grabbing her matching side satchel.

Olivia stared at their grandmother trying to gauge some kind of idea as to what the woman actually had planned. Her mental state of late hadn't been at its best. She seemed to know what she was doing, but Olivia wasn't sure she'd thought too far ahead in the plan. The chance they would actually make it to where they were going was about 10 to 1; which were good odds, but the road was long and what about Gas? Or Ammo? It would all run out eventually.

True she had been a trained marksmen and had her gun license the minute she was old enough to have it. (She'd already been at expert level a long time prior. Good old grandpa had been letting her shoot since she could walk.)

At the thought of her grandfather she proceeded in going downstairs to collect the one thing she couldn't leave without. She stared at the picture that rested on top of the fireplace of the man she'd respected and loved the most in her life along with the man she never got the chance to know, her father. All the tokens of their remembrance were neatly displayed on either side of the golden urn that held the ashes of the late, much loved man. Her father had been buried in the family plot of the local cemetery. She'd never understood why, but their family had never been one to do things the normal way.

She ran her fingers along the frame as she etched the image of the two smiling men into her memory for the last time. She picked up the small glass box that held her father's college ring inside. This was her grandfathers' proudest achievement of his son as his been the first to go to college. She had just completed her college degree and the shit had hit the fan.

Zombies sure knew how to ruin a promising career!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing ... Yada Yada Yada**

Chapter 3

"What are you doing?" her grandmother stood in the doorway, bags in hand, and looked at her oddly. The woman had never been one for sentimentality and Olivia remembered her stony exterior from her childhood; she'd been a great grandparent and raised her and Lilly to be strong independent women, but there was no room for softness where she was concerned. Her grandfather had been the one to teach them about being gentle and not focus constantly on being the best all the time and to take the time to relax and enjoy the little things. It was like good cop, bad cop and Olivia always wondered if it was how they'd raised her father to be the man he had been? "Are you listening young lady?" she said, eyes locking with Olivia's.

"Yes Grandma, I was just..."

"Olivia." Lilly called in a fearful tone.

The two women stopped their staring match and both rushed to the kitchen where the youngest of their clan stood pointing at the back door of the farmhouse. Olivia shared a look with her sibling and moved slowly towards the door. She bent down to look through the peep hole and reeled back in shock.

"Shit." She gasped.

"What?" her grandmother quizzed.

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

"Now's not the time Olivia!" the woman said sternly.

"That's the most of them I've ever seen out here. They must be running out of food." She looked at Lilly, her mind already forming a plan to get them out of there and soon. Their usual routine wouldn't be able to cut it this time. This time she'd have to take a huge risk and just hope for the best outcome.

"You mean everybody's dead?" Lilly questioned with tears brimming her eyes. Olivia pulled her closer and brought herself down to eye level with the child.

"No Lilly. It just means that more people got away and that they're out there just waiting to be found. Maybe even found by us, but first we gotta get these things away from the house..." she looked up at her grandmother knowingly. "...So we can do that. You understand?"

"But there's so many out there. What if they get you?" Lilly whispered almost inaudibly.

"Hey, are you crazy? You've seen me do it before they never even get close. Besides aren't you forgetting?"

"What?"

"I'm state champion." She strutted around as if she was the best there was.

"You're such a big head."

They both giggled quietly, but in the back of her mind Olivia was seriously afraid for her family for the first time since this had all began. If she had been on her own through this she'd have been alright, but getting her sister out of here was priority number one. Lilly was still a baby in her eyes and Olivia would sooner die than let anything happen to her.

"Go get all your stuff and wait in the living room why I talk to grandma."

The little girl did as she was told. Olivia turned to her grandmother who had been standing quietly through the exchange of words.

"This is how it's gonna go."

Olivia looked out the window of the bedroom at the surrounding horde of Zombies that had formed around the farmhouse looking for the best opening possible to make a run for it. There were at least 2 dozen of them maybe even more and they seemed to be circling the house, as if they knew that a meal was waiting inside.

The usual routine was to draw them away from the house into the woods, shoot them in the head with the crossbow and hightail it back to the farmhouse. It didn't always go that smoothly, but the most she'd ever taken on was 3 at once and she'd only just managed to escape that without injury.

There it was; her opening, she jumped down quietly and ran with everything she had. They spotted her straight away and begun their assault.

"Come on, you mother fuckers!" she screamed.

Her heart raced inside her chest as she begun running towards the Baker farm, you could just make out in the distance if you squinted. She had no idea what state the neighbouring farm was in she just hoped there wasn't a tonne of those things waiting for her when she got there. She ran a steady pace making sure to keep her breath and getting some distance between her and the walking dead. She turned to look back making sure they were still in her sights and lost her footing in a furrow and fell hard into the dirt. She cursed under her breath and tried to get up quickly only for a sharp pain to shoot up her leg.

"Shit, Fucking Shit!" she cried.

Although it was painful she knew if she didn't move quickly they'd be all over her and time was dissipating quickly. She hopped up onto one leg and terror flooded her body when she realised how close they were to her. She pulled out the Smith and Wesson she'd had tucked in her holster and shot at them, taking out the closet threats, she turned and began limping towards her destination hoping to hell her Grandmother and Lilly had gotten out safely and was making their way towards the Baker farm.

Tears ran down her face as the pain began to intensify with every bit of pressure she placed upon her throbbing ankle. Why at the last fucking hurdle had God gone and fucked her over, then again with the current state of the planet she thought God had left a long time ago and he was about as much help as Zombie repellent spray.

The Baker farm was getting closer and closer and she hadn't seen the car anywhere on the road and she'd been running for just under 8 minutes now maybe even more because the fall had thrown her off count. She could feel the panic rising within her as her thoughts became jumbled and the pain had turned into a burning sensation all the way up her left leg. She dared not turn again for fear of how close on her heels they were. He vision began to blur, but she spotted something moving quickly down the driveway and she tried to run faster, but the pain was too intense. She fell to the ground a few metres away from the Baker farmhouse and the car came to a stop kicking up dust all around, she could hear the moans of the approaching dead and willed her body to move.

The car door swung open and her Grandmother got out and began shooting. Olivia heard the bodies falling and the closeness of them frightened her. She looked up and saw Lilly staring at her, crying and screaming at her to get up.

She had promised her forever and was gonna fail before they'd begun. No! She couldn't let that happen. With all her remaining strength she pushed herself up and quickly turned; gun in hand and fired off shot after shot. Bang. Bang. Bang. All head shots clean and straight. There was still more approaching and she knew the more they fired the more attention it would attract. She hopped to the car a dove in.

"Let's go, let's go!" she hollered.

Her Grandmother jumped in the driver's side and took off like a bat out of hell. Lilly had encased her in a strangle hold and her quiet sobs were all Olivia could hear.

"Hey Kiddo I'm fine. I'm fine. Sit back and put your seatbelt on." Lilly gave her a squeeze and did as she was told.

"That was pretty close." Her Grandmother said, almost angrily.

"I think I fell in a rabbit hole." Olivia replied flatly.

The tank was full and the drive would be long, her ankle was pounding, but not as much now the pressure was off of it. The main thing was they'd made it out of there in one piece, well almost one piece.

A:N: I hope you enjoy and feel free to review and leave any constructive criticism. Thank You!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters I created.

They 'd been driving for maybe 2 days in shifts; stopping every so often to stretch their legs, her grandmother had done the majority of the driving as her ankle was still a little tender from the fall, but Olivia was at the wheel when they'd come upon a road filled with cars on the highway and there was no way for Olivia to manoeuvre their car; well more a truck, through them all.

"Grandma?" She shook her grandmother a little when she didn't stir. The old woman jerked awake and scanned frantically around her.

"What?" the older woman said blinking rapidly as the shining sun blazed into her tired eyes.

"We need to move some of these cars or find another way round." Olivia said.

Her grandmother looked out at the mass of vehicles that were blocking their path and let out and exasperated sigh. The old woman picked up the bottle of water that lay at her feet, took a sip from the bottle and let out another sigh.

Olivia turned around to look at the sleeping form of her little sister whose slumber kept her completely oblivious to their predicament.

"We need to scan the area first." Her grandmother said, turning Olivia's attention back to the task. "Check for any of those things. If you find any kill them quietly. Then see what we can find in these cars that would be useful."

"Shall I wake her?"

"No." Her grandmother said quickly.

"We can't leave her in the truck alone. She'll panic if she wakes up and finds us gone." She said a little shocked at the suggestion.

Her grandmother quickly got out a pen and a piece of paper from the glove box, scribbled a message down and placed it into the child's hands.

"There." And with that the old woman got out of the truck and closed the door. Olivia unbuckled herself and slowly, also got out taking a long look at the child who; in sleep, wore a look of peace. Olivia just couldn't bear to wake her from wherever her mind had taken her. Her stomach was in knots about just leaving her there, she was vulnerable in her state, but the lightly tinted windows; cracked to ventilate air, gave her a little protection and Olivia reluctantly closed the door and locked the car.

With her ankle still sore she had a slight limp while she began searching the cars and keeping an eye out for those things, but it seemed their luck was holding for the moment and there were none to be seen. She touched a wooden hockey stick she spotted in the vehicle just in case. She hadn't found much before realising someone had already scoured all the vehicles, taking the abandoned goods with them and the smell of the old blood stained interior of the vehicles had begun to make her feel nauseous. She wondered when she'd become so unaffected by such atrocity and for it to not even register as wrong to basically steal, even from the dead.

Just as she was about to give up her pointless search and turn around something caught her eye. She began walking towards on one of the cars near the edge of the road and noticed someone had written a message on the windscreen.

"Sofia we will come everyday..." she began reading aloud when the hairs stood up on the back of her neck.

"Hmm..." She was startled and instinctively pulled her hunting knife from its sheath and swung around almost stabbing her grandmother in the face just before she caught herself, stopped the impact lightly catching the woman's cheek with the blade and hurtled backwards onto the bonnet of the car. The woman swiped at the cut as a small trickle of blood slid down her cheek.

"Grandma what the fuck, I could have killed you!"" Her grandmother held up her finger in Olivia's face.

"Don't think that because the world is a bit messed up that you can use that sort of potty mouth with me young lady." The old woman said firmly.

Olivia shook her head and recoiled as if she'd been slapped in the face. She felt guilty, but did her grandmother live on another planet?

"Are you serious?" she questioned sarcastically whilst wiping her knife and putting it back into its rightful place. "Take a look around grandma. The whole world has gone to shit and you're worried about me using curse words. I'm 22 years old, I'm not a child anymore." She snorted. "If there were any left you would need to see a therapist." She shook her head and sighing pointed to the message she'd been reading. "Look."

"Yes. And?" was her reply.

"It says they'll come every day. Maybe we should wait until dark to see if they show and..."

"No!"

"But grandma maybe we can help them."

"I said no and that's that!" she enforced.

Olivia felt nothing but disgust for the woman who had practically raised her then. The true colour of a person's soul shows when the chips are down, and the world was so far down the devil was teasing them with the heat from his fiery pits of hell. Goodness she sounded like one of those preachers from those holy channel shows, but the sun sure made it feel like that horned beast was trying though.

She decided on a change of subject because regardless of how she felt about her, they; and Lilly, were all each other had. "I didn't find anything useful in the cars. You?"

"No seems someone has pretty much cleaned out everything that would have been useful. Go get the gas cans. There's some gas still left in a few of these cars." Olivia wiped her forehead as the sun beat down on them. She was happy to go back to the car as she wanted to check on Lilly any way. "I'm gonna move a couple of these cars outta the way." Her grandma said finishing their conversation by turning and walking off in the opposite direction. Olivia was happy for the distance it created.

She got back to the car in no time and unlocked the doors flinging the driver's door open to find the child still sleeping peacefully and the note still sticking from her hand. She let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding and she smiled for the first time since they'd left the farm house.

Pushing the release button for the trunk, she closed the door and locked the truck again. Opening it fully she pulled the gas cans and the pipe from the within their belongings and began making her way back to where her Grandmother had been. She didn't spot the woman and figured she'd gone a little further up the front of the cars. She'd siphoned gas from the first few cars before she started to wonder why the old woman hadn't returned.

Once the gas cans were full she decided to go in search of her grandmother because honestly a little worry had begun creeping into her psyche. Olivia weaved in and out of cars making her way through the amassed amount of vehicles; seeing the devastation of the last few months in all its glory, towards where she suspected her grandmother had gotten to only to be confronted with a whole load of nothing.

She turned full circle scanning the surrounding area and couldn't see the old woman in any direction. Deciding that she must have passed her and gone back to the truck Olivia made her way back to the vehicle a little more hastily. The walk seemed like a marathon and the heat continued its assault on her body when she finally saw the truck come into view. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of that beautifully monstrous mode of transport, and clicked the locks to open the doors when she stopped suddenly. Realising that she had the keys and that her grandmother would be standing waiting if she had gone back to the car Olivia felt fear wash over her. She gulped and her mouth had become very dry, quickly picking up the gas cans she popped the trunk, tossed them back into their original places and raced to the front of the vehicle, jumping into the driver's seat and locking all the doors.

Lilly woke with a sleepy yawn and stretched out in the back of the truck; the paper falling to the floor, but she was on quick alert when she noticed Olivia searching frantically out the windscreen.

"Olivia. What's wrong?" the young girl asked with fear.

Olivia knew she had to quell the young child's fears and played down her own terror. Changing her expression to one of nonchalance she turned to look the child in the eye. "Nothing boo." She lied easily. "I thought I saw a creeper, but turned out to be nothing."

"Where's Grandma?" the little girl asked innocently.

"We have to wait here for her until she gets back." Lilly looked at her questioningly and sat back crossing her arms. "Eat something ok. You need to keep your strength up." Olivia tried changing topic.

"What about you?" the child countered defensively.

"I already ate while you were asleep!" Olivia replied a little forcefully and Lilly's eyes filled instantly with tears.

"You promised you wouldn't tell lies Olivia." She said sniffling.

Olivia looked at the little girl who seemed to become a little wiser to her older sisters ways every day since this whole thing started and knew that the only way they would survive was to be honest with one another. As much as she wanted to shield the little girl from the reality of the world and let her keep her childhood a little longer, Lilly wasn't blind and could see when something was wrong. Maybe keeping her informed would be better in the long run; especially if something happened to herself, then keeping her in the dark.

With her eyes still locked on Olivia's the little girl sat waiting patiently as if she controlled time and could wait as long as she wanted. Olivia took a deep breath and knew what she would do.

"I don't know where Grandma is boo. My foot was hurting so I came back to the car, she should be back soon." It was a half truth. Olivia couldn't see any reason to scare the girl anymore than she already was. They'd wait for a while and if their grandmother didn't return... Olivia knew what happened when someone didn't return.

She just hoped she was wrong!

A:N. Please read & review and leave constructive criticism. Thank you. X


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1.**

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Olivia had waited for over 2 hours for her grandmother to return playing card games and making Lilly recite the basic rules for survival if they were to ever be separated. She been keeping an eye out for any creepers; as well as people, to grace them with their presence. She knew it was futile to sit and continue waiting. Her and Lilly; while safe inside the truck, were sitting ducks for any kind of trouble. It wasn't that she didn't have any faith in her fellow man, but in times like these the true measure of a person would be tested and it could make them cold blooded in the pursuit for their own survival. After all their own mortality was at stake. It brought out their basic human instincts, their core personality and Olivia knew that someone's true self wasn't always pretty, but as each minute ticked by and the sun had begun its descent towards the skyline she hadn't seen a single soul. Not even a bird or woodland animal. She knew they would have to move soon.

Lilly was on rule number twelve when Olivia spotted a small figure in the distance dashing in and out of view coming towards them, it was the only one around and was moving too fast to be one of the undead. Olivia pulled the binoculars from the dashboard, adjusted the vision and gasped when she saw a small sandy haired boy holding a teddy bear darting between all the cars.

"Lilly." The younger girl stopped talking and finally realised her sister hadn't been listening for the last 5 or so minutes and leaned forwards looking for what had captured her sisters' attention.

"Is that a boy?"

"Yes..." Olivia whispered. "Stay here. Lock the doors while I go get him ok." She made to get out of the truck.

"No!" Lilly cried. "Don't leave me here alone." The look of fear in the little girls' eyes almost made her want to leave the boy and stay put, but her humanity was still intact and she had to think quickly.

"Lilly. Survival rules from the beginning. I'll be back before you reach number 5." She shot her a beaming grin and exited the vehicle.

She closed the door quietly and made her way quickly towards where she had seen the child trying to hide amongst the scattered cars. Olivia made a quick scan of the surrounding area and she heard the 'click' of the lock from the truck doors and begun to move in the direction of the boy. She moved swiftly and stealthily between cars just in case the boy's parents were nearby and thought she was a danger. She saw a sandy blonde head run past just a few cars in front of her. She should have been looking where she was going because before she knew it she stepped straight onto something that threw her off balance, causing a pain to shoot back up her already tender leg.

"Fuck!" she swore lightly under her breath crouching to hold the painful appendage and looked to what had caused her to almost fall again. It was a dead body and she gasped dropping down and skittering backwards into a car panicking. She realised the body wasn't trying to attack her. It was just dead.

"Hel…Hello?" she barely heard the word. It was just barely above a whisper. She sat still for what seemed like an eternity; but in reality was a few seconds, before finally she stood up slowly and cautiously so as not to frighten the boy. He was standing there; a scared look on his face, but also one filled with relief. He was filthy. Dried blood splattered his clothing and they were torn and caked in; she guessed, possibly mud. His face was smeared with dirt and grime and the teddy he was holding had been through the same treatment. Olivia realised his parents weren't going to be popping out of the woods anytime soon. Unless...No! She wouldn't go there.

"Hi." She began to edge slowly towards him and he clutched his teddy tighter. "I promise I'm not gonna hurt you. My name is Olivia and back there…" she pointed. "Is my little sister, waiting in our truck." She paused letting the information slowly sink in. "And if you want you can come wait inside it with us until your parents come to find you." She had managed to get within a few feet of the boy and offered her hand for him to take.

He stared at her almost in a scrutinizing manor; as if trying to test her sincerity, then he nodded, passing his judgement and took her hand. She let out a breath and they proceeded to make their way back to the car. They walked quietly for a minute and he held tightly to her hand; almost painfully for such a little child, while his head snapped from side to side. Olivia's heart lurched in her chest and she wondered at this little boy's ability to survive on his own.

"Hey kid. What's your name?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Joshua, but you can just call me Josh."

"And can I ask how old you are?"

"I'm 7 and 3 quarters. How old is your little sister?" he fired back quickly.

"She's 10, almost 11. I think you're gonna like her."

He stopped abruptly and said "Will she like me?" he blinked rapidly.

"Yeah she'll like you too. Friendship's a two way street." He still looked a little unsure so she knelt down and grabbed both his hands. "You're not gonna be alone anymore ok."

"My Mummy and Daddy won't be coming to get me. He tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen and Mummy bit him and made Daddy a monster too! I ran away from the car." He looked down sadly. Olivia tucked him under the chin so she could reassure him that it wasn't his fault.

"Come on lets…" she stopped when she saw it. His eyes had gone wide and he was staring behind her his body had begun to shake rapidly and his bottom lip quivered. She heard the shuffling, guessing it was a good few feet behind her. She dropped the boy's hands and brought her finger to her lips. "Sshhh." She slid the hunting knife from its sheath, gripping it with deadly force and hearing the moan; so close now, she turned and thrust the knife upwards straight into the head of her Grandmother. The blood gushed from the inflicted wound and Olivia stared into the undead eyes of her Grandmother. Shock filled her body and pulled the knife out hastily. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She said as tears flowed from her eyes. "I'm sorry." She repeated as the body dropped to the ground.

She knelt down next to the woman who had raised her, who had given her everything that she and Lilly needed to be decent human beings. The sun was moving closer to the horizon now and Olivia knew they could no longer stay here. She lifted the woman and placed her into the nearest car, she didn't have time to dig a grave and bury her, the sun was too low in the sky and the dead always were more active at night. She picked a few flowers that had grown on the side of the highway a placed them under the wipers.

"I'm sorry and I hope you're with Grandpa now." She choked out.

She grabbed the boys hand and went straight back to the car. He remained quiet the entire time and as they climbed into the vehicle Lilly threw her arms around Olivia and she felt the tiny sobs that racked the child's body.

"You saw didn't you?" The little girl just nodded against her chest in response. "Listen we got a lot to do yet. There are still a few more cars to move before we can get through here and I need your help Lilly." She didn't want to act so cold, but they were running out of time so she held the child slightly away from her body. "I need a lookout and our newest passenger can watch the car."

"Hi." The little girl sniffled, turned and held out her hand for the boy. "Nice to meet you, my name is Lilly."

He took her hand and they shook. "Mine is Joshua, but you can call me Josh." A slight smile rested on both their small faces and Olivia felt pride swell in her chest at the strength of her little sister and her ability to try to make someone feel better, despite her own feelings. Their Grandparents had taught them well.

"Right" Olivia said. "Let's get down to it."

They managed to move all the cars out the way with only two interruptions of stray creepers whom Olivia had put down quickly and quietly. Lilly had been on high alert and spotted them before one had spotted them. It had given Olivia the upper-hand and afterwards they continued moving the cars without a second thought.

They had got back in the truck quickly and begun to drive in search of a safe place to sleep. Olivia knew there was a small town located a couple of miles from where they had stopped and headed in that direction. She couldn't be sure how badly the town was affected and hoped she could find a small house on the outskirts of town they could; maybe, settle down for the night in.

The sun was now kissing the skyline and had cast an inky red glow overhead. Olivia wondered if it signified and omen, but quickly shook the silly thought from her mind, they were already in a shit load of mess and just managing to survive day to day. They didn't need her silly superstitions on top of it.

They had left the confines of their small farm and in a short period of time already incurred a tragic loss. The harshness of it brought tears to Olivia's eyes. All she could picture was the blood that gushed over her hands; she wiped at them unconscientiously, but it was the milky white eyes of her Grandmother that haunted her and she was glad that Lilly had opted to sit in the back with their newest travel companion. That way she couldn't see the sadness on Olivia's face. A lone tear slid down her cheek and swiped at it discreetly. "Hey guys." She said with seriousness wiping all anguish from her tone. "We're coming up to the town border so we need to be real quiet ok." The two heads nodded in sync. "Be on the lookout for anywhere that looks secure for us to get some shut eye in...Ok!" The two heads whipped to the truck windows, both on alert. She knew it was stupid to ask 2 children to 'Lookout' for a place for them to stay, but now that it was just her as the only adult left in this she had to make sure; that if anything happened to her, they were able to survive without her. She didn't mean to be all doom and gloom, but she'd always been a realist.

She supposed she was lucky that her grandfather had been such a stickler for preparation 'in case of' a cataclysmic event. He even made sure to take them hunting and on 'survival' training; albeit not for a zombie apocalypse, but at least her a Lilly were excellent marksmen and knew how to live in the wilderness if necessary. This was a new world though and she needed to ensure their survival at any cost.

She found what she was looking for spotting a 2 storey house up a long drive, hopefully with an attic they could coup up in safely for the night. The stars had started creeping into the sky and she knew they couldn't travel in the darkness without attracting all the wrong attention. The truck kicked up some dust and she pulled it around the back of the house out of sight. The house sat in silence and Olivia was apprehensive to say the least, her main worry that the owners still resided within it. All the doors and windows were shut and she feared that if she tried to enter she'd end up with a bullet hole as her only welcome.

"You 2 stay here while I go check it out."

"But Liv, it's getting dark." Lilly said apprehensively.

"I know Lilly, but I need to make sure it's safe before rushing in and we all end up dead." She said a little harsher than intended. The little girl hung her head even though Olivia knew that it was _she_ who was in the wrong. "Listen boo. I'm sorry." She reached over and grabbed the child's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be quick. Tell Josh the rules and I wanna hear him recite at least up to number three by the time I get back." She looked at the little boy who hadn't said a word during the entire discussion. He just stared at Olivia blankly. "You got that kid." He scrunched up his face and nodded sternly. "Lock the car."

Olivia moved quickly and stealthily across the small distance between the truck and the house making her way up the back steps of the porch. She had a quick peek in the windows spotting nothing unusual. It looks like the occupants had left in haste though. There were papers on the floor and drawers hung from hinges. She entered the house quietly and did a quick search of the whole structure finding exactly what she hoped for in an attic. She pulled the cord and the folded ladder was a welcome sight as it popped out and rested nicely on the upstairs landing. She was thankful for the luck she'd been given and cleared the rest of the house.

She'd got the children and their food supplies safely up into the attic. She hadn't been able to drag all the water up but managed one of the bottles she'd found in a truck on the highway; she was lucky she'd even got the three she'd found as most had been removed prior to her discovery of them, and had covered the rest with their clothes bags. The worst had been dragging all their weapons up there and had taken her two trips as she had to carry the bullets and shells separately because of the sheer weight of them.

She had given the children cans of fruit with some crackers and cream cheese as a meal, they didn't have the means for a cooked meal at such short notice so it would had to suffice. She'd grabbed some quilts from the rooms below to lay their sleeping bags on.

"Olivia." A small voice called quietly. Looking at the boy she lowered her head urging him to speak further. "Where shall I put my mess?" She smiled and reached her arms out.

"Give it here." She took the trash and Lilly added hers quickly with an overzealous smile. "Now drink some juice and try to get some sleep I'll stay awake until you fall asleep." Both children did as they were told and both quickly drifted off as exhaustion set in.

Olivia stayed awake for about an hour before she found her eyes could no longer stay open. She set her gun and knife down next to her head, double checking the attic cord was hooked tightly and securely before laying her head down and letting her body give in to a restless sleep.

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**A.N. This seems to be the only story I don't have any writers block on for the moment, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

**Thanx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

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Screams flooded her ears as she searched frantically through the house for its source. She smashed open doors, almost taking them from their hinges and each time found nothing. The corridor seemed never ending and shadows danced in the dark corners menacingly, taunting her efforts at every step. She came to a stop in front of the last door and kicked it open only to recoil at what lay inside. There on the floor were a group of undead feasting on a body. They didn't even stop to look at her as they continued to gnaw on the flesh before them.

How had they got in? Did someone get into the house while they slept? She's sure she locked all the windows and doors before she'd secured the attic.

She raised her gun and fired off one shot after another into the heads of the creatures before her. Only one remained; its back to her. Olivia hesitated releasing the trigger as a sense of familiarity overcame her. She stepped forward slowly and the bloodied hands continued to delve deep into the body before them.

"No!" Olivia screamed as she set her eyes upon the bloodied face and body of her own sister and tears flew instantly from her eyes. She lifted the gun just as the thing turned around and she looked into the milky depths of her Grandmothers lost soul. Her breath hitched "I killed you!" she said in a whisper. Her only reply was a deep guttural moan as the dead woman tried to grab her. On reflex she skittered backwards out of reach before bringing the gun up and letting off a final shot.

The bodies of the undead had fallen around Lilly like a gory halo of death. Olivia kicked them aside and fell to her knees beside the younger girl's corpse. She flinched and couldn't seem to find a way to touch the girl, flinching at every attempt. The sight of all that blood brought bile into Olivia's mouth and she retched, turning to her left to empty what little contents she held in her stomach. Looking back to the child she caressed the side of her face and smoothed back her sticky hair before grasping her hand; crying openly, letting the sobs take over her body.

She stopped when she felt the twitch of moving fingers encased in her own and she sucked in a breath knowing what was happening. The twitch soon became more as Lilly's body began to move again and Olivia stood up unable to bring herself to do what she knew she would have to. Fresh tears fell in rapid succession down her cheeks blurring her vision and she began to slowly back away. A myriad of thoughts flew through her mind all at one time. She couldn't focus, she couldn't think. She couldn't… 'No!' she thought her mind flashing to the rotting corpses she'd seen in this chaotic messed up world. 'I can't leave her like this...I can't let someone else who may come upon her just kill her and not know the beautiful girl she had been. I just can't!' She knew it was madness. The people that resided in those bodies before they changed were no longer there, they were just a shell, just an empty vessel after death had stolen their souls. It was unjustifiable to leave someone, anyone like that. Kneeling back down next to her sister Olivia clutched her gun and prepared for what was inevitably to come.

The child's head began to move from left to right, her arms and legs fidgeted and twitched. Olivia kept her focus on the child's face, the eyes had yet to open and she brought the gun to rest on her knee. She watched the contorted features shift in the girls face before Lilly's eyes flew open, the greeting whiteness was all Olivia needed and she aimed the gun at the temple. "I love you boo."

'BANG'

Olivia woke in a sweat, her heart rate soaring and finding it difficult to breath. She sucked in great gulps of air; almost choking in the process, before instinctively reaching for her gun. She took deep breathes, remaining completely still, trying to steady her heart rate and wiped away the sticky hair her sweat had plastered to her forehead.

The two children were still sleeping soundly and she was thankful that her nightmare hadn't woken them from their slumber. She hoped that whatever they were dreaming about was something a little more Sunday morning kids' cartoons than Friday night horrorfest.

She crawled slowly to the attic door checking that the cord was still up tightly and a small sigh of relief slipped through her lips when she saw it remained in place. Sliding back and leaning against the wooden beam she drank the rest of the water in her bottle. Knowing that sleep wouldn't be returning Olivia decided to clean her gun. The sun would be up soon and she needed something to pass the time.

At around 6am the rising sun was shining in the attic window casting an orange glow on the walls. Olivia stood and peeked out of the small circular window seeing only the grass at the back of the house and thankfully no undead creeping around the property. Her hope that this small town hadn't been affected too badly wasn't fully quenched. She couldn't see the town being untouched by this epidemic, but she was praying that they could find some more supplies if their luck held out. She also needed to find some clothes for the boy if possible.

Firstly she needed to get him properly clean, the small wash down she had given him with baby wipes and one of her clean t-shirts before bed had done an ok job, but he needed a good soapy scrub. If this house possibly had its own water supply or gas system they could even get some hot water, but she wouldn't get too excited yet!

She decided on doing a sweep of the house and checking out; now that she had daylight to help, all the rooms for anything they could use. Leaving the children without warning could possibly be a disaster waiting to happen. There was no paper or pen to hand, so Olivia opted for leaving something that Lilly would be able to notice as soon as she woke. She saw some boxes stacked near the attic door and moved to where they sat. Using her knife she etched an arrow pointing down, when she'd finished she'd pretty much carved a hole into the box. It was a good effort though and anyone could easily make out it was an arrow…hopefully?

Once she'd closed the attic door she moved to the end of the hallway figuring to go room by room in order to do a full top to bottom search. The first room was; she guessed, the spare room. It had a double bed in the centre of the room, a small bedside cabinet and 2 door free standing closet, and plain cream coloured walls. The second room was a family bathroom, a lone towel hung on the protruding rail next to the shower and a single sink and toilet also sat neatly inside; Olivia noted to come back here after her sweep and check the water supply. The third room was a children's bedroom; boys from the blue colour scheme, a set of bunks stood against the far wall and the closets had been left open and clothes sat scattered on the floor, probably left in the rush to leave. She could have a check through the remaining clothes and might find something for Josh.

She walked down the hallway, past the staircase and to the door at the end. Opening it slowly Olivia saw this was the master suite of the house. A large bed, big enough for four people, sat central to its feature wall of a hand painted branch effect. If it wasn't under such disgusting circumstance Olivia could probably appreciate something so beautiful, but right now she couldn't even take in its aesthetic quality. She'd seen 2 doors inside this room last night but hadn't time to check them out. It had been a risky move, but necessary with the depleting sunlight. She moved cautiously towards the nearest door, her knife felt heavy in her hand and she placed it into a position of attack.

A picture hung on the wall catching her eye, the family who lived here she presumed. A mother with twin boys jumping on her back, their faces filled with happiness and light, and Olivia couldn't help but feel a deep pain grip her stomach at the complete opposite of emotions that now filled the world. Reaching the door, slowly turning the doorknob and pushing the door open quietly, Olivia moved stealthily into what was a walk in closet. The scene here was the same as the children's room. Clothes scattered all parts of the shelving and floor, some were left hanging haphazardly off hangers and drawers were emptied and left open leaving room for Olivia to relax a little, but she had another door to check behind before she could feel anything remotely relaxing. She closed the door behind her and moved to the next; back on attack mode. Apprehension filled her body when she touched the handle and she felt a chill run down her back. Hesitating she placed her ear to the door instead, but heard nothing so she shook it off as slight paranoia before opening the handle.

She gagged at the sight that befell her, congealed blood covered the floor, walls, ceiling and window, the en suite had been completely changed from stark white to blood red. A body lay in the bath tub; with gun still in hand, a spray of brain matter and blood decorated the shower curtain behind it. Olivia knew she wouldn't have to deal with it; thankfully no flies had found their way in, gulping she closed the door, not even bothering with the gun. She needed to make sure that the kids didn't come upon this; leaving the room, she closed the main door behind her and locked it from outside, putting the key atop the doors frame.

She got downstairs and cleared all the rooms including the basement, placing all the food and useable tools on the kitchen island. She'd kept a consistent 5 minute check out the windows for any creepers and thankfully none had come their way. The basement had been a goldmine of food stocks and she would be able to make a decent breakfast for herself and the children. Olivia wondered why the family hadn't taken the majority of the non-perishable goods with them.

She needed to get the children out of the attic; they should have been awake now, considering she'd been at this for over an hour. She made her way back up to the attic door and pulled the small cord to bring the ladder down. She climbed the steps peering above the top and came face to face with her little sisters gun. Lilly's face was screwed in an aggressive manor causing Olivia to raise her eyebrow which wiped it off and Lilly shook her head.

"Aw Livvy, it's just you." The little girl dropped her stance and moved back over to their makeshift bedroom. "Come out Josh." The small frame of the little boy came out from behind a large stack of boxes holding a golf club he must have found and Olivia beamed at the two children. She couldn't believe they had accomplished such an instinctual protectiveness towards each other so quickly, but then again it was only natural she supposed.

"You sound so disappointed little sister." she feigned a hurtful expression. "Ok let's grab everything up, get cleaned up with a nice hot shower and…" she was cut short.

"We have hot water?" Lilly asked disbelievingly. The boy's face also lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Yeah but I don't think we'll have much so we'll have to be quick! Then we can have a good breakfast. I found more food so we should be ok for a while." The children moved at top speed and Olivia had to tell them to slow down and stop making so much noise, even though she was chuckling inside at their enthusiasm.

They'd gotten everything down and packed into the kitchen ready and waiting to be loaded into the truck. The showers had been wonderful and although she felt a little guilty at using these peoples belongings Olivia knew they no longer lived in a world where they had the luxury of privacy. The twins room had come up with a few clothes that could fit Josh; although a little on the small size, and he had 2 sets of clothes now. Olivia had decided on throwing out his old dirty clothes, she couldn't get that much caked in grime out regardless of the amount of soap powder she had, but managed to wash hers and Lilly's from the last 2 knew she would have to venture a trip into town, maybe even forage some more houses, but it still brought a sickening feeling into her stomach at the thought of doing so.

They had a great breakfast before them of eggs with cans of pork and beans. It was wonderful. Olivia had found that the family must have had their own gas line or possible propane tank somewhere round the side of the house because the stove still worked fine. This house would make for an excellent base and she contemplated if they should stay for a few days or at least until they ran out of fuel. in the end it was 'No' they needed to stay on the move until they found some sort of reinforced, not easily accessible place to start over in without worrying about the undead. This could be a place to return to; if they needed to.

Olivia wondered if leaving the truck here and footing it to town would be a better idea, but looking at the children scooping their food into their mouths with smiles on their little faces, she knew they wouldn't make it that far; maybe Lilly, but Josh was too little for such a trek just yet. It was silly of her really knowing that their source of gas for the truck would eventually run out and that this was possibly a good time to get the boy used to the long treks they would have to take once it did. He also had the stamina of such youth to his advantage, but she knew nothing of the boys' home life. He could have been one of those kids that spent all his time in front of a TV screen playing Xbox or watching cartoon after cartoon. God she was rambling in her own head.

She pushed the fork full of pork and beans that she had left hanging in mid-air when she'd gone off inside her head. It tasted so good after the meagre meal they'd had last night and the cup of tea that she'd managed to scour; even though it had powdered milk instead of the fresh stuff, after finding the powdered eggs was delectable. She finished her meal and placed her plate into the sink.

"Come on you two. Stop yapping and finish your food." The both laughed at her simultaneously, pointing to her. She looked down to find some eggs had taken up residence on her shirt. She sighed and brushed it off. "Ha, Ha, very funny. Now scoot will you." They shovelled the rest of their food into their mouths and placed their dishes in the sink, smiling up at her in their accomplishment. "Now go wash up and get all your things together. We got to go into town and check it out." The smiles vanished instantly and they nodded. Lilly reached down and grabbed Joshua's hand, signalling to him to follow her.

Olivia checked over the house once more and took a peek outside. She was thankful they hadn't had any company so far, but knew town might be a different scenario all together. She quickly washed their dishes and place them back into the cupboard from which she'd taken them. It might be the end of the world, but she was not by any means gonna turn into a messy, carefree slob. No way!

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**A.N. Thanks to anyone reading and I hope you're enjoying it. Hopefully the next chapter will be where meeting some of the characters from the walking dead will take place. I'm in the process of writing that now and will upload once I start and finish chapter 8. **

**If you have the time please leave a review. Thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

They'd packed up and put all the goods into the truck before leaving their make shift home, Olivia had found another gas canister in the basement, added it to the 2 they already had and made sure everything was secure in the trunk. They'd been driving for about 15 minutes before they started to see the desolation and desertion of the town. The houses started to grow closer together and the abandoned homes began to look more and more like something from a disaster movie.

A few of the undead walked aimlessly through the streets, none close enough together to be any sort of danger. Olivia thought about stopping and taking them out, but just drove on in hopes of finding the central part of town. Lilly and Josh each sat looking out the side windows. Josh had opted to keep his golf club as he wanted to have a weapon; Olivia wasn't giving him a gun yet, and Lilly held the small pistol Grandpa had gotten her on her last birthday. They had driven past the majority of homes and Olivia finally found the town centre.

She pulled out of a crossroad and spotted 2 lone horses tied outside the pharmacy; she stopped, put it in reverse and parked so that their truck was hidden from site. She did a quick visual scan of the surrounding area.

"Lilly get up front right now." The little girl did as she was told and moved quickly to the front cabin. "Now listen and listen closely." She turned to Josh with a stern look before staring Lilly straight in the eye. "Do not speak until I have finished ok." Both children nodded. "I'm going into that pharmacy and you will stay in the car…" Lilly made to protest, but Olivia held up her hand. "You will get into the driver's seat when I get out. You remember how to drive? You should do considering the amount of times I let you park the truck back home..." the little girl gave a slight nervous nod. "…and if any creepers get close to the car you turn it on and drive up to the pharmacy doors and honk as loud as you can. Understood?"

"Yes." Said Lilly.

"Now Josh, your job is to keep an eye out for anyone who looks suspicious as well as looking for the walking monsters ok."

"Yes ma'am." He gave Olivia a little salute.

"Good."

She slid out of the vehicle; gun holstered in her strap and knife held in her hand, she pressed her body against the side if the building and watched as Lilly got into the driver's seat and signalled she was good with a thumbs up. Joshua's little face moved from side to side out the window, both children watching her every move.

Turning to get a better look at the road and scanning alleyways and roofs for any other persons around Olivia came up all clear and proceeded to move quickly and quietly across the street. She made it to the other side and stuck close to the walls; moving closer and closer to where the horses stood and she stopped at the edge of the pharmacy windows. She ventured a peek into the pharmacy seeing a young Asian man and a woman with a short bob cut hairstyle. They were searching the shelves; obviously gathering supplies, and Olivia took a deep breath, turning away and pressing her back flush to the wall.

Should she wait for them to leave? Or go in and take them by surprise?

She didn't have to wait. She heard the woman scream and before she could think about the consequences she rushed through the door.

"Hey!" she screamed catching all of them off guard; including the undead attacker, throwing her knife in one swift motion. The knife hit its intended target and the creeper crumpled to the floor, no longer a threat.

Both of the other party just looked at her; mouths agape, like she was crazy and while they were flabbergasted she drew her gun.

"Move." She signalled for them to move into the corner.

"Where did you come from?" the woman asked.

"I think the first words outta your mouth should have been 'Thank you!'" Olivia replied a little sarcastically, moving towards the undead body.

"Sorry. You're right. Thank you for saving my life." She replied with a little shock in her voice.

Olivia reached the body, bent down and pulled the knife from its head, wiping it on the dead things tattered shirt and putting it back in its rightful place at her side. It would need to be cleaned and sterilised properly later. She looked at the couple in front of her, they looked to be together; at least that's what their body language suggested, possibly part of a bigger group so she needed to watch out.

"Just you two?" she squinted sceptically.

"Yeah." The Asian man said a little too quickly. Olivia aimed her gun threateningly.

"I know you're lying. I hate liars!" she said menacingly and moved to squeeze the trigger.

"Wait, it's just us 2 here, we came out to get supplies." The woman said. "We don't want any trouble."

"Neither do I." Olivia relaxed her hand. They were both staring at her, she knew she couldn't keep this up much longer, someone from their party could walk in anytime soon and the children were waiting across the street. "How about we just go about getting what we each need and then we can leave and go our separate ways?"

"You can come with us. You don't have to be alone." The Asian man piped up.

"I'm not alone." Came her almost threatening reply. They both shifted and their body language became defensive. "Don't worry they won't hurt you either. Not unless I tell them to."

She moved closer and took the resting shotgun they had left just out of their reach; idiots, and swung it over her head.

"Hey!" The woman made to step forward and Olivia aimed the gun at the Asian man.

"Don't make me!" The woman stepped back. "I'll give it back, but while we shop it stays in my company ok." She didn't like being so harsh, but she needed to be wary at all times. Holstering her own weapon, she smiled at the couple. "So, what's your names?"

They both looked at her like she was 20 kinds of crazy so she rolled her eyes and decided to do some shopping. She began picking up band aids and gauze to add to the first aid box in the car. She needed to go to the back and look for the really good stuff though; just in case it might be needed in the future, to help with any infections or injuries. After a minute or two of whispering she felt a presence moving behind her and she turned with her hand on her knife.

The Asian man stood about 4 feet from her. "I'm Glen and this is Maggie." She nodded at them both and carried on. "What's your name?" Stopping what she was doing she turned and held out her hand.

"I'm Olivia." She shook hands quickly.

"And your other people?" Maggie asked.

"Are none of your business!" She moved around them; keeping their movements in her peripheral vision, to search behind the drugs counter.

"We didn't mean anything by it. We just don't want them coming in here and shooting at us." Glen said.

"You don't have to worry they're watching. If they hear one shot, then you'll have a problem." She lied convincingly.

They all went about getting their own goods and she was disappointed to see there wasn't much left in the way of prescription drugs or even any good painkillers, but she did manage to find a box of penicillin tucked away on the top shelf. She needed to find the office. These small towns always hid their best stuff in the offices.

"Hey Maggie…" The woman turned and gave a questioning look. "…You searched the office?" A shake of the head was good enough and she moved further back into the pharmacy.

The office was locked obviously and Olivia got that same feeling she had had back at the house. She'd always trusted her gut before and it hadn't failed her yet. Stepping back she made a swift kick and the door flew open with a smash. Standing inside was a lone creeper, her adrenaline surged as the thing made to attack and the confined space of the hallway; if you could call it that, was dangerously small.

She heard the footsteps of the others and decided on a little show of dominance. She pulled the fire hydrant from the wall turning it on its side and stood still and poised for attack. The two had made it to the office as the thing got as close as it could to grab her, she pushed forwards, using the hydrant like a battering ram; the thing tumbled, hitting the desk with a loud thud and fell to the ground. Before it had time to move she lifted the fire hydrant high and drove it down to smash the skull of the monster at her feet, blood splattered from each side of its head, she hit it again just in case and threw the hydrant to the side.

Turning, she looked at the 2 sets of eyes that watched in horror and slight amazement at her show. The darkness of her own soul almost overwhelmed her, her body shook with the rage that threatened to consume and she had to think of Lilly to get it to subside. She took deep controlled breaths, smirked at the two gawking faces and moved to the sink to wash her hands and slow her temper before wiping down her shoes that had creeper gunk all over them.

"Are...Are...you alright?" The young Asian man asked and they both came into the room.

"Fine!" She threw the dirty cloth into the wastebasket. "When there's only one you stand a better chance of winning. Most of the time."

Maggie had moved over to the body of the dead again man. "Oh god." She gasped. "That's Mr Harker. He and his wife run this store."

"Keep an eye out there, we don't need any surprises." She sounded authoritive, almost militant and stood looking at Glen silently telling him to move it.

"Sure." He blinked at her rapidly and went back out, shock evident in his demeanour.

"We need to get a move on." Olivia said and began to search the cupboards that pretty much covered a whole wall of the office.

"I'll help you look." Maggie said a little robotically. This place was hard to maintain the usual façade of normalcy you portray to others.

They searched quietly for about 10 minutes finding a stash of pills and medicines in a locked; easily broken, cabinet.

"We'll share it all." Olivia said flatly and began to distribute the drugs evenly.

Just then she heard a skid and a honking horn. She pulled off the shotgun and gave it to Maggie.

"I'm sorry for such hostility. You can never be too careful." The woman took the gun and Olivia ran out, fear gripping her as she realised she had let the children almost slip from her thoughts. How stupid! The Asian man was outside telling them to stop honking as the horses were pulling and bucking. She got out the door and Maggie tugged at her arm.

"Where are you gonna go?"

"I've got a safe place for now!" she turned seeing the group of creepers that had come around the corner; more than only three of them could handle. "You need to leave now too." pointing to the threat before them.

"Shit." Was all Glen said as he tried to calm the flailing beasts.

Olivia jumped into the truck and Maggie saw the children that had occupied it. Olivia wound down her window at the woman's insistence.

"Our farm is not far from here, just go back up to the highway get to Fairburn road and drive 2 miles down. You'll see a post box with the name of Greene on it."

"Thanks!" she replied tersely.

Lilly smiled at the woman and gave a small wave which Maggie returned. Joshua had his face pressed to the window and looked at her suspiciously.

"You better get moving, those horses will be too spooked otherwise."

Glen called to Maggie and she mounted the waiting horse. Olivia pulled away and looked in the rear view as she sped off. The two made it away just in time as she rounded the corner.

She looked at Lilly and Josh; she needed to see something worth living for, their small innocent faces both wore looks of relief and she hoped it was her presence; back in theirs, to be the reason.

"Hey." She said to the little girl. "You did real good!" Looking in the rear view she said "You too Josh." The little boy leaned forward to get closer to her.

"I spotted them coming…I did. And Lilly was a good driver, she didn't stall or nothing."

She turned to the little girl. "You stalled?" she looked at the girl with raised brow.

"No, but I forgot to take the car out of park at first." The girl looked down ashamedly and Olivia tucked her under the chin.

"Don't be sad Lilly." Josh piped in before Olivia could.

"Listen to Josh, he knows what's what." They all laughed, relieving the tension in the air and Olivia told Lilly to climb in back with Josh and play quietly for now.

That way she could get lost in her own thoughts. She always knew she had a dark side; most people did, and it always scared her. The thrill she felt from killing was hard for her to describe completely. It was as if she almost…enjoyed doing it.

She read about what psychologists described as having psychopathic tendencies, someone who enjoys the thrill of the kill, feels little to no remorse and can't genuinely love. The first two maybe but she didn't understand it because she loved her little sister and her Grandparents more than anything. She was remorseful sometimes and she cared about…about…? She couldn't think right now, but they were wrong! The main thing is she did care! She had control over her darker side, she only let it out when she needed to; kinda like the 'Hulk', she chuckled to herself and stopped herself from going to that place again before she snuck a peek at the two behind her.

They were playing some sort of guessing game, their little bodies still not fully able to relax though, but playing like children should none the less.

She couldn't imagine her life without Lilly in it. Her smile, her laugh and the way she could just look at you and it would all seem worth it because she loved you without any judgement and in her eyes you were perfect just as you. They may have had different fathers, but she was still part of Olivia, still part of the heart that beat in her chest.

She wasn't a 'Psychopath' she was just protecting her own. She was a normal; above average intelligence, woman, surviving the best way she knew how. What did Psychologists really know anyway? She needed to stop analysing herself.

She turned into the drive of the house they had occupied last night. She knew they could stay here safely until tomorrow. Then she would go back into town and maybe go find Maggie's farm; at least where the road to it was. They say there's safety in numbers and that could be an advantage if she and the kids wanted to get away unharmed.

She wondered about the future and what it had in store because if a small town like this was ravaged by such disaster what hope did they all have of finding somewhere safe at all?


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer - I own Nothing - Except Olivia, Lilly and Josh.**

**Enjoy!**

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They had had an easier nights rest, already knowing that the house was secure and the attic was a safe bet. Olivia had still made sure to check all the rooms beforehand though, but they were able to have another hot meal for dinner and breakfast so they were pretty well fed before they started out that morning. She had found a town map in their makeshift home and she needed to go to the nearest clothes store to get clothes for Josh.

The children were vigilant as they approached the town and their little bodies shifted into tenseness and even though she felt a little pride in their readiness she couldn't help but feel a little sadness that they could no longer be real children.

She circled the few streets around their destination to see if there would be any imminent danger and was happy to have found none. She pulled up outside the store and told Lilly that it would be the same as yesterday. They waited in the car, while she went in and to honk if they spotted a creeper.

"Olivia I don't like this. It's too quiet." Lilly said.

"Yeah Livvy. Where did all the monsters go?" Joshua continued. "Yesterday they were lots and lots."

"Hey it'll be fine. They're not here now and that's all that matters. I'll be quick. It's not just Josh that needs clothes." They both nodded knowing the conversation was over.

She quickly exited the vehicle and made for the door of the store. It was locked which surprised her so she'd have to go round back and get in. Too much noise could attract the wrong kind of attention.

It wasn't hard to find the back alley that led to the line of stores and she made easy work of getting to her intended destination. That door was locked as well and she had no choice but to make noise to get it open. She lifted her foot to give the door a good kick when – if this were a cartoon a light bulb went off in her head. Her grandpa's neighbouring shop owner always kept a spare key to the gun shop securely hidden out back in case he lost his. She felt around the door frame and on top of the alley light; nothing, she looked around the small alley. Two dumpsters and a drain were the only objects that really occupied the space. She looked all over the back of the shop and besides a small birdhouse there wasn't…the birdhouse. She felt inside the small arch shaped entrance for the winged animals and felt the jagged metal edge of a key.

"Thanks Grandpa." She said aloud.

Entering the back door carefully she scanned the store room; all she needed was a few creepers to be inside and she would be in a little trouble, the small stock was in boxes stacked on shelves and Olivia crept forward, her eyes searching through the small gaps of each shelf and reached what she assumed to be the main door to the store. Turning the handle slowly she stopped when she thought she heard a noise from the other side of it. Taking a deep breath she turned the handle slowly, she pushed the door open slightly and peeked inside the store. She waited; checking for any movement inside, when nothing happened she opened the door fully and made her way through the shop grabbing what she saw as suitable.

* * *

"Lilly I really gotta pee."

"You'll just have to wait Josh. You went like 50 times this morning." Lilly exaggerated.

"No I didn't you liar!" he exclaimed. "Please Lilly. I'll only be behind the car. You can watch me in the mirror."

"Eww that's gross. I don't wanna watch you pee." Her face scrunched into a look of disgust.

The little boy laughed and then he got a pained expression on his face. "I can't hold it Lilly, I'm gonna burst!"

"No Josh, go in the bottle."

"You said you didn't wanna watch me pee." He countered.

The little boy had been asking for about 15 minutes to go to the bathroom and Lilly knew she would get in big trouble if she let him out of the car. A defiant look came over his face and Lilly didn't like it one bit, she huffed, threw him the bottle and turned her back to him. She was the next oldest when Olivia wasn't here so he should listen to her and stop being such a baby.

"I'm not going in the bottle." He pushed the bottle from his lap.

"Fine be that way." She was watching the store and Josh seized the opportunity to press the door lock button and get out the car. "Josh! Get back in here in now! Olivia will be so mad." He continued in silence and didn't even bother to answer her. He ran in front of the car and stuck his tongue out before running behind the mini marts big statue of a fat man in an apron and did what he needed to relieve himself.

* * *

About 10 minutes later she had filled 2 bags full of clothes for the three of them even grabbing a few pairs of extra shoes for her and Lilly. Josh had the biggest selection and she'd even grabbed a few things the next size up for both him and Lilly in the event of a growth spurt.

She made her way to the front of the store the key she'd discovered hopefully locked the front as well as the back. She locked the door behind her and left the key in the lock for the next set of people to find. They could have the same luxury she'd had. The door to the truck was open and Olivia felt a wave of panic come over her. The children weren't inside and the bags she was holding fell to the floor. She'd been in there for 20 minutes they could have wondered off and gotten lost. Her panic was replaced by anger as she thought 'Why did they get out of the car in the first place.' She picked up the bags and threw them into the truck. She heard a jingle from the left of her and turned to see the two children come running out of the next buildings door. Lilly chasing Josh as he ran with candy in his hands.

"Ha, ha, ha, I found some candy."

"Get back in the car Josh. Livvy will be so mad."

"Damn right I'll be mad." She yelled. Both children stopped dead in their tracks and she saw Lilly visibly gulp as Josh grabbed her hand with eyes wide. "Get your asses in the car. Now!" she said sternly.

The scurried quickly to the door of the truck, both scrambled to get in and sat silently as Olivia picked up the remaining bag of clothes and got into the car. The relief she felt didn't overshadow the anger and she felt like a good spanking for both was in order, but she opted for the scary voice option instead.

"Would you like to explain yourselves?" her tone one of deadly calm.

She saw Lilly look at Josh with a scolding glance and he hung his head.

"Josh needed to pee and he pressed the button to unlock the car and he got out and I thought he would get right back in, but he didn't cause he saw the candy shop and he ran in without checking first so I got out to get him." Lilly rambled.

"What if there had been a creeper in there huh? What if one of you had got bit, then I'd have to shoot you in the head." She stated matter of factly.

The little boy erupted and he cried. "No Livvy, I'm sorry, I forgot. I just w..wa…wanted some candy." He blubbered and turned to Lilly who cradled him in her arms as she stared at Olivia with a scared expression.

"Yes Lilly I would shoot you if you got bit. It's not right to leave someone in that state, walking around without a soul. I would hope for the same treatment." She ended the conversation with a narrowing look and Lilly tried to soothe the younger boy.

She drove through town, heading for the house. She thought she might scavenge through a few of the houses on the edge of town for food and supplies before heading out to find the entrance to Maggie's farm. She wasn't going to go in, but it would be good to know where it was just in case.

She slammed the brakes as a dog ran out in front of the car and she heard the two children yelp at the force of it. She turned and checked them. "You guys ok?" she gave them a little shake.

"Yeah we're fine." Lilly replied.

"I'm ok." The little boy said quietly.

"Stupid dog ran out in front of us." Olivia gave as explanation.

"Look Livvy." Lilly pointed to the two creepers that emerged from the direction the dog had come from.

"That's probably why he was running."Sighing she threw the truck in reverse and backed up a good few metres. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and the sun gleamed on the bull bars like a silver sign from god. She slammed her foot on the accelerator and charged towards the walking dead with fire in her belly and a machine she could use like a snow plough.

The front of the truck crashed into the 2 creepers with a loud crunch, the blood splattering against the windshield forming a red rainbow when she turned on the wiper. Pushing on the brakes, she watched as the two mangled bodies flew 20 feet away before she accelerated again and run over them, hearing the crack of bones underneath the powerful beast.

She sped away knowing that what she just did was slightly unnecessary as she would now have to somehow clean the truck and they couldn't really afford to waste their water.

They pulled up to the house; her venture of scavenging would have to be put on hold until she sat the children down and gave them what for. When they got out of the vehicle she looked at the dirty mess she'd created and decided a search for a mop and bucket was first on their agenda. The children stood still waiting, their little faces full of fear at her. Oh she was mad, in fact she was seething at their stupid behaviour and even though they already had it pretty bad right now she opted for a slightly more severe punishment. She smiled thinking of just the thing.

"I'm gonna take these bags in side…" they both looked up and Lilly bit her lip nervously while Josh looked like he'd seen a ghost. "…you two are gonna go inside and find a mop or a sponge and a bucket and your job is to clean this mess off the car."

"Olivia?" she nodded at her little sister. "Where do we find the water to clean it?"

"Try to find the bucket first. Let's hope there's a little water left in the tank or you'll have to just clean it with soap and your spit." She turned and walked to the house a grin spread wide on her face at the two expressions she'd just seen on their little faces. Who ever said parenting wasn't fun.

* * *

They'd been out there for a good hour and a half. Olivia had made sure to keep an eye out for any unwanted visitors, patrolling the porch and the perimeter of the house intermittently. She'd decided that they had done a good enough job and that they could come in and clean themselves up. It had been fun to watch the two of them try not to get messy and the looks on their faces when they were removing the chunks of creeper guts from the truck had been a priceless moment. She was a cruel woman, but they needed to be made aware of the consequences their actions had. Just because the world as they knew it had gone to hell, doesn't mean she was gonna let them go with it. In order for them to survive and remain slightly sane she knew they needed structure, balance and some form of normalcy. It might not be in the traditional sense, but god be damned if she wouldn't try.

The sky had started to darken and she could feel the rain coming, you could practically smell it in the air. She'd made them some lunch and they sat at the table as the rain pounded against the wooden house. Its bones creaking as the wind picked up, but as quick as it began it ended and the sun beat down drying the ground and heating the air once again. The heat was rising as the midday height brought clammy skin and sweaty brows. She kept them inside, letting them play a board game called Ludo they'd discovered; the intensity outside would have had them gulping down their water stock in no time, and decided to clean all her weapons. She kept her trusty side arm for last, on guard and ready for anything.

Whilst she'd been cleaning them she was thinking about all the houses that she'd passed in town and all the others on the outskirts that she could check out. She didn't want the children left alone here, but they couldn't be trusted to be alone in the car and at least here they'd be a little more secure. Plus she'd have a better chance if she only had her own back to watch. Her other option was to go to Maggie's farm and ask them for help, but she was weary of getting involved in anyone's circle. They probably already had leaders and some sort of hierarchy of roles and she didn't need someone telling her what to do, she'd done pretty well so far keeping her family safe.

Her eyes filled with tears when she realised she _had_ _been_ doing pretty well right up until she drove a hunting knife through her Grandmother's skull; albeit she was already dead at the time, but it didn't change the fact that she'd failed on that part.

She shook her head putting the last piece of the rifle back in place and setting it on the table with the other weapons she'd already cleaned. Maybe she would be better off with a group, taking orders, shooting things, keeping the children safe with more than 1 adult if the situation got too scary; or worse, she got bite and they were left alone in a world that no longer had the civility to protect them. Maybe they would be better off?

Her side arm cleaned and ready she loaded the shotgun and Desert Eagle into her bag. Her knife sat neatly at her hip. She'd wished she'd grabbed the set of bladed curved machetes from her Grandpa's store, but she'd just grabbed all the guns and ammo she could. Thankfully her Grandpa had kept most of his stock at home in the basement. Not that anyone in Union springs, Alabama would have ever come anywhere near her home to try and take any of it, but she always wondered why her Grandpa had kept all their stock ammo there. Although, he was always worried about the end of the civil world and how they'd need their guns in order to survive.

"Olivia." Lilly shook her shoulder breaking her from her thoughts. She blinked a few times before regaining her senses.

"Yeah?"

"I've been calling you for the last five minutes. You ok?" Josh peeked out from behind the little girls back. His little face was etched with worry.

"I'm fine honey." She shifted her position so her whole body was facing them. "I'm going out and you are gonna stay here and watch Josh…" the child made to interrupt, but Olivia held her hand up. "…I'm only going for a little while. I want you up in the attic and you do not come out until you here my voice."

"But Livvy?" Lilly quizzed hoarsely, her voice betraying her urge not to cry. "We'll behave this time won't we Josh." The little boys head bounced up and down in a frenzy.

"I'm not punishing you. I'm just going to check out a few of the surrounding houses. See if I can find anymore food."

"But you can hunt for food. I've seen you kill things before…"

"Lilly." She tried to interject.

"…No remember when Grandpa took us out camping and you killed that deer and…"

"Lilly!" she said more sternly. "I know that and yes I could, but I want to get as much as we can before we move on. We don't know how bad it's gonna be when we get to Eagle rock. We might have to survive only on what we have with us." She grabbed the little girls hand and tugged her forwards. Josh following suit, glued to Lilly like a second skin and she enveloped them both in a fierce hug. She stood and Lilly moved back to the game.

Josh stayed in his spot and poked her lightly. "What's in Eagle rock Olivia?" she looked down into his big questioning gaze.

"My Aunt and Uncle live there with our two little cousins. When we last spoke to them they were safe and were staying put. That's where we're heading and once we get them we're heading to a place where we can be safe."

"Oh, Ok. How old are your cousins?" He asked, following her around the table as she went to the sink.

"They're 8."

"Both of them?" his face scrunched in confusion.

"They're twins Josh. A Girl and a Boy."

"So I'll have others to play with." He smiled enthusiastically.

"Only if you behave and follow instruction."

The smile disappeared and he hung his head. Lilly had tidied there mess and had the board game tucked under her arm. Josh made his way to her grabbing her outreached hand.

Olivia took them up stairs, making them each go to the bathroom before waiting at the attic entrance and watching as they made their way up.

"Now you close this and you don't come out unless you hear me call." She pulled a map from her pocket. "Take this." She handed it to Lilly. "It's a map to the farm Maggie said she lived on." Lilly face filled with fear and her eyes watered. "Just in case I get stuck and can't get back. If I'm not back tomorrow you head out there you hear." She etched the two faces into her memory, their frightened expressions burned into the back of her brain. "You have your gun and I've left you a spare one up there as well as your knife. Now close the door and stay safe."

"I love you Olivia." Lilly said.

"Me too." Josh hastily followed.

She chuckled at his over eager response and blew a kiss to them both. "I love you guys three. Stay together ok." And she pushed the door up watching as the string disappeared like a piece of spaghetti sucked up into the greedy mouth of fate.

She knew it was stupid to leave the children there, but she was confident that she would be returning; not as a creeper, she would be back to protect those children. The image that had burned itself on the back of her brain would be the one she would keep in order to remain focused on her goal. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake.

The good thing was, she still hoped.

* * *

**A.N. Sorry to anyone who had to wait for a long time for this. Hope you like it. P**sed I missed world Zombie day! Would have been a blast. ;)**

**Jada**


	9. Chapter 9

_**A.N. When I heard Merle say 'Creeper' the other week I was like "Hey that's my terminology" but decided I'd let it slide because I'm just that nice.**_

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**_

She locked all windows and doors before she drove to the furthest house of her search area. They were few and far between so she would have to go closer to town in the near future to scavenge for supplies. The big chain stores they'd passed on their travels had been looted of most foods and she worried they wouldn't find much left in the smaller convenience stores either. So she had decided to start picking through abandoned homes; even though they would probably have to do it more and more frequently, it didn't make her feel any better to have to do it and that small scrap of decency left within her made all the difference to her psyche.

She pulled up a dusty driveway and stopped at the gate; the surrounding fence was about shoulder height and looked pretty sturdy. She quickly scanned the area. It didn't seem to have any creepers roaming about so she hopped out the vehicle, locked it and jumped the gate. She took in the majestic beauty of the old house that stood proudly in front of her as she made her way through the front yard, its stark white painted boards seemed a contrast to her foreboding mood. This idealic house had seemed to be untouched by the horrors of the outside world, it's closed lemon coloured shutters filled her with a sense of uneasiness that she couldn't shake.

She pulled her gun when she felt eyes on her, spotting a figure in the upstairs window and she made a run for the cover to the front porch. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she felt the adrenaline fill her body when her stomach did cartwheels. She moved stealthily up the steps and pulled her matching secondary gun from her pack; swinging it onto her back wishing she's grabbed the bullet proof vest from the truck, 'Sloppy' she heard her Grandfather say in her mind.

She tried the door handle finding it locked and now she knew that there was a high probability of people; live people, being inside. "Hello? Is anyone inside?" she waited for a reply. Receiving none she continued. "I'm not going to hurt you. If you just let me know you're actual living people I'll leave…Please." The door swung open and she raised both guns to meet with a Pump Action Remington 870.

"What do you want young lady." A frail looking lady questioned.

"I'm just looking for supplies mam; I'm not here to hurt anyone so why don't we put these away and we can just go about our business?" she made to lower her guns; moving slowly, hoping to hell the old woman didn't just shoot her dead there and then.

"Get your butt in my house now before those things get a whiff of ya." She motioned with the shotgun at Olivia and she obliged willingly. The old lady shut the door, locking all the bolts and placed a chair under the door handle. Olivia looked around at the furniture piled up in front of the windows; half of the stairs had been demolished and expertly replaced with smooth flooring and a ladder that could be raised.

'Did I just sign my own death warrant?' she thought placing her gun back into holster and securing the other one at her back. This old lady was not alone and certainly not frail. "That is an ingenious idea though."

"What did you say dear?" The gun toting Granny said with a suspicious gaze, gun still indirectly pointed at Olivia in indecision.

"Hhm…" she cleared her throat. "I was um…admiring your design." She pointed to the stairs. "I said it was an ingenious idea."

"Oh yeah that. My Grandson did that. Been real quiet with it to, read about it in some kinda war book."

"I'm glad you're not alone here mam." She meant it sincerely.

"He'll be back soon." The barrel turned slightly away, but easy to pull back and shoot at her.

"I honestly don't want any trouble. I'm just searching a few properties for supplies. The kids can't go hungry." She tried to appeal to her humanity.

"You got kids in that truck?" the woman looked a little panicked.

"No. I left them in a safe place. With some friends." She added quickly.

"You left them." The old woman seemed shocked and dropped the gun barrel out of range. Olivia took the opportunity and snatched the gun from the old lady.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't want you pointing that at me." The old lady backed up.

"I knew you weren't genuine." She spat.

"Listen lady. I ain't gonna hurt you. I don't want anything from you. You seem to be doing ok here and I just want to go and make sure I get back to my kids." She put the gun on a high shelf where the little woman couldn't reach it. "How about we start with names? I'm Olivia." The woman looked at the gun and nodded her head.

"I'm Ivy, nice to meet a young lady with _some_ manors left in all this."

"Now I'm just gonna be on my way and you can get your Grandson to get that when he comes back." She made for the door and the old woman stepped in front of her.

"Please wait. Would you like a drink?" Olivia didn't know what to think and in the faded blue eyes of her 'captor' she caught a glimpse of vulnerability and loneliness within them.

"Sure." She wouldn't have to waste her own supplies then. "Why not." And she followed the old woman into the kitchen. Olivia stood in her kitchen and gulped fresh orange juice greedily.

"Wow that was…" Olivia felt like she had never tasted something so good.

"I got a few trees out there. Jackson goes out there every day to get them."

"Thank you. It was delicious and a lot better than being on the nose end of that shotgun."

"You can't trust folk in these sorta times. Didn't mean to be rude, just being safe."

"How long have you and your grandson been holed up here?" she gulped the last of her juice and set the glass in the sink.

"Since this whole ordeal kicked off really. He's been staying with me since he returned from his tour of duty."

"He's a soldier then?" her defences on red alert thinking back to the figure in the window.

"Yeah, he was injured. Couldn't get up outta the bed for a while, but he recovered well and he managed to get this place turned around in just the few weeks he's been back to full health."

Olivia couldn't help but feel there was still something she was missing as her uneasiness wouldn't subside despite the pleasantries. The person she'd seen in the window wasn't the woman in front of her it had been bigger, taller, wider.

"Where does he go during the day?" she glanced at the front door quickly.

"He goes to check the fences out back. Walks the perimeter and kills any of those dead things out there." Olivia looked at the glass the woman had on the counter.

"You not gonna drink that?" The woman smiled like a garish theatre mask. Olivia felt a little queasy and looked at the glass she had deposited in the sink. Her vision began to blur, she felt light headed and leaned against the counter.

"Are you ok dear?"

"I…I feel..." She shook her head to try and clear her haze.

"Don't try to fight it honey. It only makes it work more quickly."

Her legs gave way and she fell to her hands and knees. The impact in the cold tiled floor made her hiss in pain. She looked up into the eyes of evil. "What did you do?"

"I slipped you some of my Sedatives. It's a high dose of Tamazepam. Like I said dear you can't trust folk in these sorta times."

And then her world went black.

Lilly sat against the beam of the attic window, watching the young boy sleep in the late afternoon. She had tried to have a nap, but couldn't manage to find a shut off switch for her overactive brain. She picked up the photo album for the 3rd time since Olivia had left that morning and flicked to the page she spent most of her time looking at.

Its pages were worn and cherished, the edges showing the care and love of memories her family shared for one another, and the brown leather cover still felt as smooth as the day she'd first been show the family treasure. The picture of her and Olivia sipping their fake cocktails from when _she_ was about 4 had Lilly praying; for the gazillionth time that day, that Olivia would come home safe and sound. She ran her fingers along the edge of the immortalised moment before a drop of water fell atop the image.

She looked up to see the sun burning brightly and not a cloud in the sky, wondering where the droplet had come from before realising the warm sensation that slid down her face. Tears, she was crying. She swiped at the offending objects and closed the photo album. Olivia would curse her out for crying for no reason. Only wimps cry.

Josh stirred and she looked at the clock recognising the grumble that came from her stomach. It was lunchtime already? She took out the crackers, chips and water that Olivia had given her for them to eat. Olivia had packed most of their goods into the truck, but left 2 packs full of food and supplies in case they had to try to make it to Maggie's farm.

She moved to their makeshift table, where the game sat patiently, waiting for its 2nd attic round to begin. She was gonna try and teach Josh chess with the reverse side, but his ability to focus for more than 20 minutes was an issue where that was concerned.

"Lilly?" he said sitting up and rubbing his sleep filled eyes.

"Come have something to eat. Then I'm going to continue to whoop your butt at this game." Her eyebrows rose wickedly.

"Yeah like that's gonna happen. Not!" He sat at the opposite side of Lilly and woofed his portion down. "I'm still hungry Lilly."

"Let it go down and drink some water. It didn't even touch the sides of your mouth. You should eat slower." She lightly chastised. The boy went to gulp his water and Lilly shot him a warning look. "Not too much or too fast, it's gotta last." He nodded, but rolled his eyes.

"What time is Olivia coming back?" Lilly held her cracker mid-air, her eyes most probably betraying her realistic thoughts on the contrary.

"She should be back soon." She tossed the rest of the cracker into her mouth and leaned back against the attic wall.

"It's gonna be dark soon though and I gotta pee."

"Jesus Josh. What is it with you and the bathroom? You have to go in the bags remember." Her voice rising with each word she spat.

The little boys face contorted in anger. "Don't yell at me!" he crossed his arms defensively.

"Don't yell? Don't yell!" she raged. She swung her arm across the makeshift table, knocking the game pieces everywhere. "How about I smack you upside the head and gag you, you little brat!" she stood abruptly, her small portion of food falling to the floor. The little boy scurried backwards, his eyes wide with fear, but Lilly was fuming now. "You need to grow up and understand that we do as Olivia says. This is not a time for rebelling and not doing as your told or all you are is a burden that we might as well feed to those monsters out there because you're no use to us otherwise." She continued to approach as he collided with a protruding beam. "And I promise you Josh, if you ever put me or in danger again like you did earlier. I'll tie you up and ring the dinner bell. You understand?" She was eye level with him, their faces mere inches apart. Her breath was ragged like she just done a 100m race and her nostrils flared wildly.

Silent tears slid along the boys' cheeks as he nodded in response. "Yes Lilly. I'm sorry."

"Good." She straightened up and moved back to her sitting space. "Try and find the pieces and we'll play after I'm finished eating." She ripped her packet of chips open and ate them silently. The boy moved quietly and quickly, discovering the falling pawns easily.

She sat there watching his every movement, noticing his nervous glances her way every few seconds. She'd never had a younger sibling; it had been her and Olivia. Her friends had had younger sisters and brothers, but they'd never annoyed her to the extent that Josh did. Now she knew how Olivia felt sometimes with her own behaviour, but she'd realised quickly that doing as you were told, meant you had a better chance of survival. She may have only been a kid, but she wasn't stupid, in fact she was one of the smartest kids in her grade. The time for childish behaviour was pretty much over, she'd come to realise that, so Josh needed to as well otherwise they would end up in more danger than ever.

Even though she felt a little better after venting some of her feelings she pulled her gun from under her pack and placed it at the side of her, climbing to the window to check for unwanted visitors. They'd made a fair amount of noise arguing and she hoped to hell nothing came of it.

Olivia woke groggily, her neck felt stiff and she tried to rub her eyes only to find she couldn't move. She was tied to something and tugged against the restraints, quickly figuring she was tied to a chair. Her mouth was so dry and her head felt like a bowling ball on her shoulders.

"Argh…" she managed to raise her head and the blurriness began to subside. She tried to move again, but the rope rubbed against her wrists and chest. Her head fell back and a dry cough ripped from her chest as she tried to shake the haziness off.

"Nice to see you're finally awake." A deep male voice said. Her head jerked in the direction it came from and her head spun, a nauseous feeling rose from her stomach. "I wouldn't move too quickly if I were you. The effects take a little time to where off." She couldn't make out any form as the room still spun wildly and she closed her eyes and willed for it to stop.

Footsteps echoed softly as the male walked across the room. Her skin tingled as her senses told her he was opposite her now. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard the 'whoosh' as the cushions adjusted to his weight when he sat on; what she guessed, was a sofa.

"Can I get a glass of water?" she asked, her tongue unconscientiously licking her parched lips. "On second thoughts, scratch that. Last time I drank something my ass ended up on the floor." A pain shot to her knees at the recollection.

"Nice to see you haven't lost your sense of humour in all this." The voice said.

She opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the dim lighting and zeroing in on the male in front of her. His obsidian gaze sent a chill through her bones. He sat with the shotgun she'd confiscated from the little old lady across his lap, one hand resting on top of it and the other lazily against the back of the small sofa he occupied.

"Where's the demon in disguise?"

"Now that's not nice a nice way to talk about your host!" he fumed.

"My host?" she said sardonically. "Are you crazy? She drugged me and tied me to a chair after I tried to leave without any trouble. What kind of sane person does that?" her voice getting an octave higher with every word she said back to him.

"Ssshhhh." He put a finger to his lips and sat forwards threateningly. "Those things might hear you."

"You got fences all around this place. What are you worried about?"

"They keep out the strays and singles. But the packs and mobs are more of a worry. They'd take those fences out in minutes."

"Packs?"

"You haven't seen them?" he asked indignantly.

Her control over her temper waned, she flared her nostrils and exhaled to calm her thoughts, her mind focused on Lilly. Shit, the kids. "What time is it? How long was I out? I gotta get back to the children." her words rushed from her mouth.

"You weren't lying then?" Came his disbelieving response.

"You better tell me now or I swear when I get outta this chair I'll kill you." The calm had slowly begun evaporating.

"Ain't you a little firecracker." She struggled against the ropes trying to free herself only to have her head send her back to the land of carousels. Where the hell did the old woman get those pills? Her adrenaline rushed through her veins and the dizzy spell vanished quicker this time round.

"Let me go." She instructed. Her tone was dangerously low and menacing.

"It's too late for you to go out there now it's gonna be dark out soon."

"Then let me go now and I can get back before there's a need for headlights."

"So you're not far from here?" she realised her mistake and pulled against the ropes trying to lean forward.

"Like I'm going to tell you and the devil's assistant out there. Yeah I know you're there Ivy so you might as well come out." She yelled quietly.

The old lady came out from behind the doorway, her face held a look of amusement and glee and Olivia felt her blood boil at the audacity of the woman. She'd been courteous and polite and this woman had drugged her and now stood basking in her deceit. She pulled against the ropes again and huffed out when the futility of it settled over her. She leant back and puffed out a breath of frustration.

"You won't be getting outta those 'little lady'. My Jackson is trained to make sure you don't." The old woman moved over to the man and with a loving expression ruffled his hair.

"That's right Grandmamma." He smiled up at the woman.

"Well when you're done making goo-goo eyes at each other can you untie me so I can go."

The old lady came over and slapped her hard across her face, the sound echoed in the room. Olivia turned to look at the woman and the metallic taste of blood fell on her tongue. She spat at the feet of the old lady, sent her a death glare and watched rebelliously as the woman raised her hand once again.

"Grandmamma." Jackson called and rushed to stop the woman before she delivered another blow. "That's enough. Why don't you go on upstairs and I'll deal with this matter." The woman looked from her grandson to Olivia.

"She's dangerous. I can't leave you here alone with her."

"Go on upstairs now and I'll come and tuck you and…" he paused and his eyes darted to Olivia before he quickly continued. "…I'll tuck you in ok." The old woman nodded and left the room with no qualms.

The two occupants left behind stared at each other, neither willing to look away. He finally gave in, dropped down and began untying her restraints.

"That's it?" she said sarcastically.

"Consider yourself lucky. I was gone shoot you." She felt a chill run down her spine when his tone relayed the truth in his statement.

"I just threatened to kill you and now you're letting me go?"

"With what your bare hands?" he chuckled. "You could try, but you wouldn't get very far."

She watched as his muscles tensed and realised that she wouldn't have a shot in hell when he was aware of her hostility and attack. The element of surprise would be her only way of besting him, but she wasn't gonna let him know that!

"You willing to bet on that?" she leaned pushed against the ropes at her chest trying to appear menacing.

He stopped and a tired sigh escaped his lips. "If you wanna I can leave you here all night and just go on about my business. Now I was told you left those kiddies with someone, so if they were, why would you be so worried? My guess is you stashed them somewhere where they'll stay safe, at least for a little while. So if you wanna play who's the baddest I'm just gone leave." He made his way to the door and Olivia knew she couldn't waste much more time here.

"No please." She pleaded, the ropes chafing at her wrists.

He returned and crouched again, his eyes bore into hers. "You better behave when I take these off or I'll snap your neck like a twig. Understand?" She nodded, a slight ripple of fear sending her body cold at the look in his eyes and he returned to the task of freeing her. She sat quiet for a moment and asked.

"Can I have my weapons back?" He stopped and looked into her eyes, the intensity of the moment made her heartbeat race in her chest as his eyes penetrated deep into hers once again. "I didn't plan on hurting anyone the first time round and I just wanna get back as quickly as possible." She let her body relax, trying to show him she was sincere and no threat.

"I suppose so." He yanked at the last rope and they were finally loose. She shook them off and stood quickly, flexed her arms and stretched her legs.

"Thanks. That feels good." The words slipped from her mouth with a little too much enthusiasm and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Come on. I'll get you your weapons." She followed him out, but was still a little wary and hesitated at the doors frame, her mind full of thoughts that the old woman waiting to shoot her at the top of the stairs. He opened a hidden door within what was left of the stairs and Olivia felt more than a little respect for the cleverness in the ideas this man had. She supposed it stemmed from his time in the army and whatever training or sector he was part of.

"You do all this?" she quizzed.

"It took me a while; had to be real quiet, but yes. I did." He pulled her weapons and bag from the cupboard and handed them to her. She opened her pack and checked the contents checking everything was still there and pulled a clean shirt from it.

"Do you mind?"

He looked at her dumbly. "Oh. Bathrooms just there." He pointed to a small door opposite.

She closed the door behind her and changed her shirt looking around for any escape route. The small window was boarded up and she would struggle to get through it even if it wasn't. she hoped he wasn't playing her like the old woman had, but his eyes held something less threatening; despite their darkness, that made her feel at ease.

He wasn't bad to look at either. His olive skin and - from what she could make out - defined body would send any girl wild with desire and it wasn't like she'd got any in the last year or so.

Jeez she was acting like a hormonal teenager. She needed to get out of here now. She threw the dirty shirt into the bag and rushed out the door, colliding with the body that waited right outside.

"Shit, Sorry." She spat.

"Here." He said holding up her car keys. "I didn't take nothing from it, we have a working well and plenty of stock." The words seemed to fall from his mouth almost nervously.

Was he stupid to be telling her this? She could shoot him and take all his supplies - Survival of the fittest and all – but she couldn't justify killing the living when the dead ruled the world. They would need all the bodies they could in order to survive. The good ones anyway.

"Thanks." She looked away shyly when the thoughts of repopulating the planet popped into her brain. She felt the rush of blood to her cheeks and hoped he didn't notice. Squeezing past him she headed for the door.

"Wait." He called. "If you get in trouble, you come straight back. Bring the kiddies with you. This is as safe a place as any and don't worry about my Grandma I promise she won't drug you next time round."

She smiled raised her gun and let off a shot.

_**A.N.2 - Thanks to all who are reading. I hope you enjoy and leave a review if you can.**_

_**Jada**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A.N: Sorry for the long wait. I did have this typed up, but was having trouble with the ending. Hopefully a little faster paced for the next chapter, it's slowed down a little I think?**_

_**Anyway enjoy**_

* * *

The shot rang out and it hit the decaying form right between the eyes. The soldier had ducked and bolted forward tackling her to the ground. They landed heavily on the wooden beams of the floor and the wind was knocked from her lungs.

She brought her elbow up and smashed it into his face and he fell to the side grasping his jaw. She raised the gun again as a second intruder came from the kitchen doorway and she fired another shot. Gulping and sucking in air sent a wave of pain through her ribs and she turned to the idiot next to her; his eyes wide with shock, got to her feet and hastily made for the kitchen. She stopped when she felt a hand grasp her ankle.

"Get off me you idiot!" she jerked her ankle free and hopped over the two redead bodies.

The kitchen was quiet when she entered; guns raised, ready. The back door stood wide open and the glow from the setting sun cast a red haze on the tiled kitchen floor. Olivia rushed to it and a crowd of creepers filled the garden and came towards her with snapping jaws. She slammed the door and Soldier boy had entered the kitchen with the trusty shotgun.

"Are there any more?" She cast him a dangerous glare.

"No, it's just bunnies and rainbows out there." She replied sarcastically and placed the wooden plank back into its slot across the door.

She paced across the floor trying to think of a way out of there. She pushed past the army man and peered through the small gap between the boards of wood at the front door window. She spotted creepers at the fences and 2 strays in the front yard. Her truck seemed to have a clear run, but the fading light made it hard for her to see little beyond it.

"I don't know how they got through them fences. They were as secure as a babies' diaper when I checked earlier." She heard from behind her.

She needed to get out of here and right now. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of having to stay here tonight. And then…Wait…How did the back door get opened in the first place?

She spun to face the puzzled looking man. "How'd the door get open in the first place?" she stepped forward accusingly. "Didn't you lock it?"

"I locked it up tight thank you very much! I ain't got no clue how it got open."

"Where's the little old devil lady? Maybe she did it?" she stepped to the ladder and started to climb.

"Now wait a second." He grabbed her arm. "Why would she put us and herself in danger? She might be a little sadistic, but she ain't crazy."

"Wanna put a wager on that?" she stepped off the ladder. "My guess is she thought you'd leave me tied to that chair and those things would solve the problem of me being here." She raised her eyebrows begging him to question her.

"No. No way."

"I gotta get outta here." She moved the chair from the front door and began to unlock the many bolts.

She heard the click of a gun and turned to see the old lady at the top of the stairs aiming a pistol at her. A sense of déjà vu came over her, her earlier prediction coming to fruition. She visibly gulped.

"You ain't going anywhere little lady."

"Grandmamma." The man's face was etched with worry. "Put down the weapon."

"She'll bring back all her friends and they'll kill us." The gun shook in her aged hands. The soldier had been slowly moving closer to Olivia. "Stay there Jackson or you'll get hurt." The intent in her eyes was clear.

Olivia felt tears creep to the corners of her eyes. "Please don't do this." She paused. "I lied to you Ivy. I didn't leave the children with my friends. They're in an attic of an abandoned house I found a few days ago and if I don't..." the woman cut her off.

"How do I know you're telling the truth now then huh? You woman of today are all manipulators, using your looks and wiles to get what you want." She let out a crazed laugh. "You think I didn't see the way my grandson looked at you. He's a man after all; his brain is below his belt." Their eyes shifted to each other and they shared an unwarranted look of guilt. "Now put those locks back."

Olivia knew she was almost out of time where daylight was concerned. "No." She looked defiantly at the old woman. "I don't care if you shoot me. I'm leaving and if you shoot me, I know I gave my life trying to save my kids." A lone tear slipped down her cheek and she cleared her throat, addressing the man in front of her. "There's a map in my pack the top right hand corner is where the children are. Go get them. Take my necklace..." Her hand ghosted over the tiny chain. "...Lilly will know I sent you." She turned and grabbed the doors handle swinging the thing open.

A creeper was making its way up the porch steps and Olivia charged forward, kicked it in its head and it tumbled to the grass at the bottom. She pulled her weapon and shot it in the head before running across the yard shooting the two that were creeping about the fences.

She jumped over the gate and clicked the button on her keys to open the doors central lock system. Creepers had gotten very close to her and she shot the few that were too close for her liking. She swiftly got into the truck and started the engine, throwing it into reverse, she nearly shit herself when the passenger door opened and stunned, she slammed her foot on the accelerator.

"Holy shit!" The soldier hopped in beside her and pulled the door closed. "You almost took my legs off." The truck smashed into a few of the walking dead and bumped over the ones that fell to the ground. The car spun at the end of the dirt road and she bombed down the highway until they were clear of the hoard. The brakes screeched to a hard stop and as quick as lightning she knocked the shotgun to the floor, drew her knife from its sheath and held it to his throat.

"What are you doing?" she looked at him suspiciously.

"I'm coming to get the kids with you." He gulped as the knife dug a little into his flesh.

"You left the old woman alone?" she asked astounded.

"It was mostly her choice. I stepped in front of the gun and she told me to get out."

She squinted questioningly "Making sure my friends aren't real huh?" she pressed a little at his throat.

"That as well, but I'd be risking my life for my family. I think that's something you'll understand." His eyes darted to hers and she hesitantly removed the blade from his neck. She fell back into the soft upholstery and huffed. "You know I could have taken that away from you?" he said cockily.

She turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "Not without serious injury and a high risk of your throat being slashed...and dying." He smiled deviously at her and she rolled her eyes at him. She turned the engine back on and sped away the last of the setting sun dipped below the horizon and she still had a bit of a drive before she got; dare she say it, home.

* * *

Josh sat reading some comic books he'd found in one of the boxes in the attic. When he'd suggested the idea to Lilly she had dismissed it, worrying they'd create to much dust and dirt. But as the hours went on and their board game became boring she'd changed her mind and thought a little digging couldn't hurt that much and besides, when Olivia got back maybe they could have a good scrub or even a shower if they were lucky.

There wasn't as much dust as she'd thought and the first box; they'd discovered, had a china set like the one her grandmother had owned and the memory brought a tear to her eye. Josh had thought something was wrong and bugged her about why she was crying. She batted him away with her hand and told him to open another box needing to get a hold of herself. Her earlier outburst had obviously affected the boy because he didn't put up one bit of rebelliousness; he just went to the next box without question.

When he'd discovered the comics he's eyes had lit up like a Christmas tree and the boxes were no longer of interest to him. Lilly had other ideas and occupied her time with discovering just exactly what the previous homeowners had stashed up here. She was about half way through when she found some sort of collector's items. She pulled some nun chucks and a small set of samurai swords from the box, a knife that had a gold tiger's body as the handle with a red eye fascinated and lit a want inside of her. Olivia would love this stuff and she decided that she would have it waiting when she came back. There were a few other bits inside but no more weaponry; some books and pictures, she placed those back and moved to the next box.

A crash of metal from outside stopped her in her tracks and she looked at Josh who stared at her with wide eyes. She saw him visibly gulp and put his comic aside. She motioned for him to be quiet and slowly moved towards the window, her gun now in hand as she peered out of the glass. She hadn't realised how dark it had gotten and couldn't make out any shapes except the trees against the moonlit sky. She looked at the clock and it was past time for dinner.

There was another, quieter crash and this time she felt fear grip her when she heard a voice say 'Shit' and it wasn't Olivia.

"Lilly." Josh whispered and she swiftly brought her finger to her lips to signal to be quiet.

Lilly quietly moved to the attic door, she made sure that the rope was securely tightened against the slanted beam and sat silently still; her knees shoulder width apart and the gun pointed at the closed entrance. She breathed steady and listened intently, closing her eyes to better hone her senses.

"Looks like the place is trashed man? There's drawers opened and shit." One male voice said.

"There could be supplies though and we need a place to crash for tonight. Didn't you see the big group of those things?" Another answered.

"Well this place isn't exactly safe though man. The windows aren't boarded or nothin' those things would break through in seconds." There seemed to be only the two thankfully.

"I suppose you're right."

"Let's just go on into town, it ain't far and find some supplies, maybe even find us a bar?"

She heard the footsteps begin to move away.

"You still thinking about whiskey? You got a drinking problem dude."

"Only problem I got is not enough drinking."

The last thing she heard was both men laugh and she opened her eyes and waited for 20 minutes to pass before she moved.

Josh had been sitting in his position on his bedding through the whole thing and Lilly thanked God; although not really something he'd like to be thanked for, for the man with the drinking problem. His little face was pale and a small sweat had broken out on his forehead.

"Josh." Lilly stroked his face as she sat next to him. "It's ok, they're gone now." She still found herself whispering despite herself and the boy turned his frightened face to her. He grabbed her around the waist and held on so tight she thought she was going to stop breathing. "What? You think I'd let them hurt us?" she hugged him back reassuringly.

"What if they'd got inside Lilly? What if they had found us?" The little boy's questions were valid and she had no idea herself, but she needed to give him some sense of safety.

"They might have taken us with them or waited it out here and when Olivia got back, we'd give them some supplies for helping us out and stay together or go different ways." He pulled back to look in her eyes. His questioning gaze needed more convincing. "Not everybody's good Josh, I know, but we gotta make sure _we_ stay good."

"Are we gonna go to Maggie's farm in the morning?" he asked resignedly.

"Yeah, at first light ok."

"What if Olivia comes back and we're gone?"

"She knows where we're going, she'll find us there." She got up and went to their packs. "Now it's time for something to eat. We got rice cakes, some packets of jam to go on top, an apple and the piece de resistance, a chocolate bar to share." She shucked her eyebrows up and down and the boy laughed away his confused face, now slightly more at ease they feasted on their sugary treats.

* * *

The darkness made it hard to navigate and she feared turning her headlights on high. The sun had disappeared over an hour ago now and she'd somehow got herself turned around in the rush of trying to get back.

"Olivia just turn'em on. When you get your bearings back turn'em off. I've been living here and even I'm having trouble making out the signs."

"It'll attract them and then we'll draw them back to the house. I can't put the children in danger like that."

"And the sound of the truck's engine is not really a giveaway either?" sarcasm dripped in his tone.

The map lay on her lap and she handed it to him. They were at a crossroads and she couldn't make out if they were the right way up. She turned the high beams of the headlights on and the sign showed they needed to make a right. A few creepers were scattered in the nearby fields and Olivia hoped none had found their way onto the property with the children; a moan from one attracted others, she didn't fancy fighting her way through a crowd and dissipating the ammo. She turned and made her way relatively slowly down the road, watching for any cars that blocked their path, she spotted an over turned car and a few dead undead bodies lay beside it. It looked fairly recent and she hoped whoever had been inside had gotten away safely.

She came into a familiar setting, she was close to the house now and felt her heartbeat pick up its pace in excitement at seeing the children.

"What are you gonna tell them?" her passenger asked quietly. Bringing her back to her dilemma of how much she was willing to trust this man.

"What do you mean?" she replied, her eyes still focused on the road.

"About what happened today?" he asked almost timidly.

"I'll tell them the truth. They'll be fine with it once I explain the situation. I think I might leave a few details out because I don't like to lie to them." She spotted the house a little in the distance. "But now isn't the time for secrets. Our survival depends on trusting one another...with everything." She put emphasis into the last words.

Her attention hadn't shifted from the house and she didn't see the two figures that moved along the darkened road before it was too late. She swerved trying not to hit them but her truck clipped one of them and sent him flying off to the side. They skidded onto the grass bank before she stopped the car and looked in her rear-view. The second figure rushed to the still form that lay in the road and bent over it, checking it over. The soldier moved to get out of the truck, but she grabbed his arm.

"Wait." She said wearily.

"Olivia you hit him. We need to help them." he looked at her face and he wore a look of urgency.

"Keep alert. They have weapons." Her body was rigid and tense. She wasn't taking any chances when she was so close.

He lifted his shotgun. "We have weapons too." And he jumped out of the vehicle. She took a deep breath and followed suit.

They moved steadily towards the two forms. "Hey." She called out, her weapon drawn and aimed for the kill.

"Whoa, wait please, help my friend he's really hurt." She heard the pump of the shotgun to her right and soldier boy aimed at the unhurt man.

"Steady my friend. All your weapons on the ground. Now!" he said forcefully.

A moan from the man on the ground confirmed he was alive and Olivia pulled her other gun from her back and aimed at the form on the ground as well. The able man slid his guns forwards, and the placed his knife and machete on top.

"Now your friend's weapons." Soldier boy relayed and the man followed the instructions. Olivia moved forwards and kicked the weapons closer to her truck, never taking her eyes or guns from the two men.

The man let out another moan and grabbed at his thigh unconsciously. "Please." The other pleaded.

Olivia looked at her 'Partner', he nodded and moved towards the two forms. He crouched down beside the injured man and checked his vitals. He ran his hands down the man's leg and back up to his hip. The man let out a howl of pain when he pressed on his abdomen. Lifting the shirt he noticed a dark bruising on the skin; even in the dark it was noticeable.

"I think he's got internal bleeding. I don't have the skills for this. We're only given the basic first aid in the army."

"You a soldier?" the other man questioned suspiciously.

"Yes. Your friend is seriously injured. He's gonna die." He paused. "Do you have a group nearby?" Olivia knew what he was doing. She was beginning to like this soldier more and more as the minutes passed.

"Yeah a few miles from here. We got a little turned around in the woods and before we knew it the day was gone." The man willingly exposed.

"That's good." He said and Olivia moved stealthily closer, watching the man's twitching hand. The shotgun lay beside the soldier's knee, easily reachable if the man moved quickly. The man on the ground had become awfully still, but she saw the faint rise and fall of his chest.

"There's nothing I can do." The soldier pulled the man's shirt back down over his stomach.

"No, he can't die. Do something. Anything." The man yelled.

"Ssshhh!"

Olivia saw the shift and as the dying man took his last breath she drove her knife into the back of the other man's head. Blood splattered from the wound and the soldier fell back in shock. His eyes stared widely as she kicked the man forwards off her knife. She stepped forwards and the dead man received the same treatment. She pulled it sharply from his shattered skull and wiped it clean on the back of the slumped over man.

She looked at the horrified face of her travelling partner. "He was going to attack you. Probably try for your gun." She placed the knife back in its sheath and picked up the machete. "Let's move them out of the road." She picked the legs of the first man up. The soldier stood and looked at her incredulously. "Are gonna help or what?" he picked up his arms and lifted the heavy man.

They quietly removed both bodies out of the road and then drove up to the house. It was quiet and Olivia was thankful that no creepers were about. She hid the car at the back again and they made their way to the door. She placed her hand at the soldier's chest and stopped him before they entered.

"Let's make one thing clear." She whispered. "You have no say here. You do what I say, when I say it. I don't trust you as far as I can throw you and I'll be watching you like a hawk. Understood?" He nodded and his shock still clearly evident in his body language. "I'm gonna go talk to them first. Your presence may startle them." she motioned for him to follow her and she stopped him again at the top of the stairs.

She disappeared down the hallway and softly called to Lilly. The string fell from the attic door and she opened it to find the children's eager faces smiling back at her. Lilly held her gun firmly and Olivia never felt more pride at her vigilance. She stepped up the ladder and they children wrapped her in a fierce hug which she returned just as fervently. "We were really scared Livvy. There were men here." The little boy said in a frightened tone. She shot back to look at them, her hands resting on their small arms, still needing the connection.

"Are you ok? They didn't come in did they?" she questioned worriedly.

"No, they didn't even try, they wanted alcohol." Lilly interjected. The two men; dead by her hand, it must have been them. She squeezed them as if they would disappear, checking they were real.

"Lilly was really brave, she was ready for them Livvy. She sat with her gun just like you showed her." The little boy told her in awe. She stroked her sister's face lovingly and proudly.

The shuffle of her visitor's feet brought her to topic. "Now don't be scared. I have somebody here with me." Both children became tense. "It's ok, he helped me." She reassured. "But..." she dropped her voice to just above a whisper. "...I want him to be afraid. So when he comes up have your weapons aimed and scary faces ok?" She winked with underlying seriousness and the children nodded conspiratorially. "No shooting though." She enforced.

"Ok." They said in unison.

She slid down the ladder and signalled for the Soldier to come forwards. She went into the attic and let him follow, chuckling at his facial expression when he met with the two children aiming their weaponry at him.

"Nice to meet you too." He said. Their faces didn't change and he looked to Olivia a little despairingly.

"Ok, put them away safely." The children did as she said instantly and surprise replaced his earlier expression.

They sat waiting for instruction; the small questioning eyes bore holes into him. "Hi, I'm Jackson." The name sounded strange to Olivia even though she knew it. 'Soldier' just seemed to fit him. Josh spoke first. "I'm Josh." He said dominantly.

Lilly looked to Olivia and she nodded before the girl turned her attention back to him. "I'm Lilly. Nice to meet you Jackson." Her tone was civil, but analytical.

Olivia was happy that the girl hadn't forgotten her manners despite her tone. It brought back the good memories of their Grandfather. "Ok now that we've all been introduced. We need to get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Ain't you gonna tell us about what you did today?" The little boy enquired. She shared a look with the Soldier.

"When you've brushed your teeth and got into bed I will." He hurried excitedly to the attic entrance and Lilly followed her eyes fixed on their guest suspiciously.

"They're good kids." He stated.

"I know." She replied with a sigh and watched the children descend, following and resting on the ladder so she could see them and the corridor clearly.

"They're not your kids though. Right?" his tone was tentative.

"No, but they are my responsibility." She saw admiration and respect flash in his eyes. Maybe being from the army he knew how important the responsibility of others was.

"That's honourable." She smiled up at him in thanks and they fell into an uncomfortable silence, she felt his eyes bore into her as he tried to capture her gaze, but she wouldn't look at him; instead she focused on the bathroom door, knowing that the intensity between them would be a little overwhelming. She felt a connection with him, but didn't know why. She knew she was tense and needed some release, blaming her libido was the only way she could justify these…momentary lapses in judgement.

The children came out of the bathroom, breaking the awkwardness that had befallen the space. As they ascended Olivia noticed them each eye the Soldier suspiciously; Lilly had obviously said something to Josh, the little boy's body language and demeanour had shifted in the 5 minutes they had been in the bathroom.

Both got into their bedding and Olivia begun to 'tuck' them in for the night. Josh hugged her and kissed her cheek and she felt a little awkward at the boy's show of affection. Lilly did the same, but grabbed her again at the last minute and whispered into her ear. "I don't like him Livvy. He gives me bad vibes." Olivia gently pulled back from the child and said reassuringly.

"Just get some sleep. I'll be watching him ok." She stroked the girls face lovingly and the child nodded, laid back and made herself as comfortable as she could.

Olivia moved back to her own section of the attic and watched in amusement as the soldier; after closing the door, tried to tie the cord – unsuccessfully – to a small pin that protruded from a side beam. When his frustration began to hinder any progress he was making she moved next to him and took it from his grasp. "Here." She said. She placed the cord into the original place she had been tying it and he looked on in annoyance.

"I didn't see that." He huffed out.

She brought her finger to her lips and pointed to the children. Their bodies side by side as he brushed his arm against her, watching her closely. She quickly made her way back to her spot and pulled something to eat from her pack. The portion was small, but sufficient and the Soldier moved unconscientiously towards her, eye focused on the food in her hands. She threw a packet of crackers and a jam packet at him "We can have a hot breakfast in the morning. This will have to do for now." He'd probably eaten better at his gun toting Grandma's house, but his expression was more like a kid at Christmas as he dipped the cracker in the jam.

She looked over at the children, their tiny bodies breathing in the steady rhythm of sleep. "You should get some sleep." She said and turned to face him. "I'll take first watch." He began to shake his head, trying to quickly chew and swallow his cracker.

"I'll do it, it's the least I could do considering the circumstances. You should sleep." His attempt at winning her over only irked her instead.

"I think I'll be fine. I had a long nap earlier." Her voice dripped with sarcasm and his guilty expression passed quickly across his face as he pushed the last of his crackers into his mouth. She threw him a blanket and a cushion she'd taken from downstairs. "It's the best you're gonna get right now." He nodded his thanks.

He found a comfortable spot next to some of the stacked boxes and it was only then that she realised they had been moved. She looked at the sleeping children, noticing that Josh had a stack of comic books sticking out from behind his pack and a sheet covered whatever Lilly had found. She would let her show her in the morning, the girl needed a _bit_ of privacy and if she was honest, she wanted to have a little time just with her sister, discovering what wonders she had found that interested her. They needed those little moments to hope for the better.

The Soldier seemed to have fallen into a state of sleep as she finished eating her portion of the stocked food, his breathing now in the same slow rhythm of the children's. She'd let him sleep for 5 hours and then they'd switch.

After all that's roughly how long she'd been out for earlier that day, it only seemed a fair trade of time. Besides he was gonna patrol the house and keep watch outside the attic.

She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him!

* * *

_**A.N.2: Thanks for reading. Drop a review if you got time. Jada**_


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N. This took me forever to get right and I still don't know if it is as good as I want it, but...We'll see? Bold Italics is a flashback, just to clarify.**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

* * *

The morning sun fell on her face and warmed her skin. Her eyes flew open as she realised she'd fallen asleep on watch last night. Her neck felt tight and ached as she moved. "Ah. Shit." She hissed, shaking her head slowly to clear the sleepiness from her mind.

Thankfully the others were still sleeping, even the Soldier still slumbered peacefully; unaware of her mishap. Her mouth was dry as a bone and she gulped down the water that remained in her bottle greedily. She stood and stretched her aching limbs; a night sleeping in a sitting position had done nothing for her spinal column, and her back cracked loudly enough to cause the Soldier to stir slightly under his blanket.

She moved to the window, looked out onto the land and spotted a few of the dead roaming; though not enough to warrant a panic, she decided that they needed to be disposed of before breakfast if they were to remain safe.

"Olivia?" she heard Lilly call quietly, her gravelly sleep filled voice making her jump slightly. She moved to the child and Lilly stretched in her bedding before her eyes became focused and awake.

"Yes Boo?"

"Where are you going?" her eyes held a hint of panic when she looked down at Olivia's shoes that were still on her feet.

"I've gotta take care of the creepers that are outside and a little too close for my liking." The little girl's eyes darted to the Soldier and back to Olivia's. "He's coming with me too!" She kissed the child on the forehead. "Wake Josh and get yourselves cleaned and ready."

"Got it!" She did a sleepy mock salute and Olivia chuckled to herself at the traits she was picking up from Josh.

She made her way to the door of the attic and kicked the foot of the Soldier, his body jerked awake and he let a small grunt escape his lips.

"Wake up." She barked.

"What's wrong?" he replied with worry as he sat up hastily.

"We got creepers. Need to take 'em out before they get any closer." She pulled the barrel back of her gun and tucked it in its holster.

"Ok, let me just…"

"Olivia wait." Lilly cut in and ran over with a bunch of weapons she hadn't seen before. "I found these in some boxes yesterday. Maybe you could use them?" the little girl smiled up at her. She looked at the silent weapons and swore she felt her eyes light up and sparkle at them. "I thought you might like this one specially." Lilly held out a decorated knife; a tiger with a red eye, Olivia could tell she wanted her to like it _and_ that she would take it, but she also saw a hint of sadness in her little eyes at doing so.

"I think you should keep this one. You need to upgrade." Lilly's smile beamed. "Besides I like _my_ knife…" The child held it like a rare gem. "…but I'll take these." She took the three swords the girl had found. Tucked the medium sized one in her belt, setting one aside for Josh and then turned and tossed the largest to the Soldier, who had been watching the scene in front of him quietly.

"Thanks." He said appreciatively, tossing the blade between his palms and getting used to its weight.

She hugged the girl tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you. Now move your butt and get Josh outta bed."

The Soldier had begun to lower the attic door, his eyes scanning the hallway before lowering it fully. "Ready?" he asked looking into her eyes. She nodded in response and they descended, quickly checking the house before going outside.

They closed the door quietly and crouched down on the porch for cover, he made to move further out and Olivia grabbed his arm. "What?" he quizzed.

"We need a strategy here. We can't just go running out there all guns blazing." He rolled his eyes and Olivia punched him in the arm. He flinched and rubbed at the spot with a grimace. "It wasn't that hard. Now, you take the front and I'll go round back. We'll circle around and meet back here once they've all been disposed. Understood?"

"We should stick together and take them out as a team." He offered.

Although she saw the logic in his plan, she thought hers was better to make sure that one of them didn't get bit or eaten and if both of them became creeper food, the kids were back to being on their own.

"No we stick to my plan. _MY_ rules remember!"

"Understood Loud and Clear." They moved quickly and quietly, her mind raced as she thought about what could happen and hoped that one of them didn't end up as dinner. She had no time for that train of thought, so shook her head and cleared her mind to gain full focus.

She stopped at the edge of the house peeking around the corner and scanned the area; her knife in one hand and her newest weapon in the other. There were five on this side spread pretty wide, a stealth approach would be best; she could run up and… A flashback of her fall made her hesitate and a phantom pain shot through her ankle. She took a deep breath and made for the closest of the undead that; thankfully, had its back to her. She swung the knife into its temple and pulled it out quickly. The small moan that had elicited from its decayed lips alerted the others and they all honed in on her. She waited; feet spread, steadied her stance and took another deep breath.

The next one came at her, his milky white eyes and chomping grey teeth made her shudder. His torn and dirty clothes had dried blood all over them; it caked its jaw and chest where both collar bones protruded like jagged rocks. It lunged and she side stepped quickly kicking it to the ground. She drove the sword into its eye and the splatter caked her arm ending its infected life.

She had little time before the next was on top of her, but she made short work of it; ending it with one deadly blow before it could even really start and then moved back preparing for the next assault. Three had banded together and came at her in mass. She turned and spotted the edge of the trees and decided to make a run for cover in the dense forestry. The sun continued its ascent into the sky and her skin glistened from the exertion, what a morning this was turning out to be.

She made it to the tree line and glanced back to see if they were still pursuing her. She jumped over the small pile of branches that had accumulated and crashed into another of the dead. She landed on top of the monster, one of its cold hands clasping her shoulder as the other pulled at her clothing. Panic began to cloud her mind and she pushed against its bony form; both blades still in her hand. She brought her elbow up and cracked its arm, the force tearing its hand from her shoulder. She rolled off the thing and stood, quickly bringing her foot up she stamped on its head, its skull crushed beneath her heavy foot.

A moan to her left drew her attention as another creeper came from between the trees at her. The three that she had lured there now made their appearance, entering the mass of foliage and Olivia felt fear grip her body. Thick trees blocked any view she had of the surrounding area and not knowing what lay in wait she didn't want to go any deeper. The dead advanced quickly in the small space and she needed a minute. _'God give me a minute.'_ She thought. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, adrenaline surged through her body as the urge to be sick almost overwhelmed her. She suddenly felt tired, her muscles ached and her stomach lurched. The group of undead closed in on her, their putrid breath permeated the air and Olivia found it funny, that considering they were dead and had no bodily functions how the hell did they make breathing noises in the first place?

She raised the sword and took off the head of the closest one to her; its body dropped to her feet, half of its brain spilling onto her boots. She pressed forward pushing against the line of creepers to knock them off balance and drove her hunting knife up into the head of the next one; a teen boy no older than 16. Its decrepit, coagulated blood burst from under its chin and all over her arm, joining the splatter from earlier.

The others recovered quickly and continued towards her. The dead woman managed to grab the end of Olivia's ponytail, she had no time to think as its emaciated fingers clasped the brown locks and yanked her head, exposing her neck to its chomping jaw. The other one came at her from the other side when her last _kill_ fell to the ground. Her hand pushed forcefully against the bitches' torn throat; her knife still embedded in the head of the teen as she kicked out at the other, hitting its hip and sent it spinning to the ground. She lifted her other arm to block the dead woman from tearing into her throat with its fingers, knocking them away. Olivia couldn't break the woman's hold and did the only thing she could think of. She dropped down rolling onto her back, taking the bitch down with her, as her back hit the ground she brought her foot up and kicked the dead woman over her head; quickly bringing the sword up, she sliced the joint at the wrist taking the hand from its rotting body. She scrambled into a sitting position and turned to the side, spotting a big rock that had loosened from the ground, she grabbed it and smashed it down onto the woman's head; the blood spurting out and over her jeans.

She looked up to see the last creeper had regained its footing and was coming at her. She leaned back onto her elbows and with full force kicked its shins; cracking its bones, which sent it hurtling to the ground. It begun to crawl towards her, a guttural moan came deep from inside it and it reached for her ankle, she scurried backwards to try and get some distance. She backed into the trunk of a tree, her breath ragged as she found it hard to get oxygen into her body. The creeper was at her heels, its dirt caked hands dug into the earth at her feet, pulling itself closer to her. Olivia tucked in her knees; put her feet flat on the ground and pushed against a root that jutted from the earth hoisting herself to her feet. She stood above the disgusting thing that used to be a man, taking in deep breaths and a deep sorrow filled her as she took in the scattered bodies of the people that had once been human.

In reality they _were_ still human, but they had been…the way she saw it; mutated? - Into some other form of humanity - a kind that had only the most basic of basic needs and it both puzzled and fascinated her in a grotesque sort of way. She looked down at the sword in her hand; the blade slick with the blood of the already dead, wondering how she had just managed to 'kill' 5 out of the 6 before her and now baulk at the last one because her conscience reminded her it was still there.

The thing had made it to her feet once again and she drove the sword down into its once functioning brain; the last of her sentimentality going with it and then pulling it from the once normal man she moved to the body that her knife still inhabited, snatching it from the corpse.

Her mind was blank and she walked robotically back towards the house, stopping at the tree line she felt the summer heat radiate from the opening she'd ploughed through. The house sat picturesque in the blazing sun and she pictured her life back with her Grandparents, the simple things she'd took for granted. She'd let her mind and body have its last bit of feeling.

There was no more room for it if the truly wanted to survive!

* * *

Jackson had waited for over 10 minutes now; he'd cleared the 3 creepers; as Olivia called them, from his side of the house. He'd used some of the drills they'd put him through in the army. It was a little more difficult when your enemy had no thinking power because dividing and conquering hadn't worked when they all wanted him for a big snack.

Thankfully he hadn't had to fire his weapon and attract any others that may have been in the vicinity; the last thing they needed was to have a herd blow through.

When he'd made a sweep of the rest of his assigned sector he came back to the rendezvous point and waited. The 10 minutes felt like an hour and worry had begun to settle in his stomach. Gut feeling told him she'd be ok and gut feeling was all you had to go on sometimes; he knew that from his experience in the war. The shade of the porch offered him a reprieve from the suns' rays, the heat was already beginning to swelter at this early hour and he decided a quick patrol of the perimeter; just to double check, wouldn't do no harm.

The house was rather beautiful and reminded him a little of a plantation house. He could imagine the stories that were imprinted in the walls of this old house, despite its obvious makeover by its previous tenants, its structure was of the old world his Grandmamma talked about. He came to the first corner where they'd split and moved along the house following the tracks she'd left. He noticed where she'd broken away from the path and her footprints led towards the woods.

He continued his patrol and was happy to find no more of those things on the property lines. Coming to his original spot at the back steps he made a snap decision to follow Olivia, he needed to know for sure. As he got to the side of the house he spotted her bloody figure coming from the tree line; it covered her arms, torso and one leg. She walked with purpose; her features fixed in a hard glare and made it to him in no time, walking past him silently.

He followed her with his gaze. "Olivia?" she didn't stop.

"I told you to meet me at the back porch." Her tone was edgy and filled with authority leaving no room for argument.

"Sorry, it won't happen again." He followed her obediently. They got to the door and she spun on him. The look in her eyes frightened him, this slip of a woman who was tall for a female; maybe 5'10, and weighed no more than 140lbs, terrified him with the darkness he saw in her hazel orbs.

"This is your last chance Soldier boy. If you can't follow simple instruction I'll drop you quicker than a whore's panties!" Her tone was so dark and he suddenly felt cold despite the summer heat.

He stood firm and nodded his head. She didn't say another word and they both entered the house. She threw her weapons on the kitchen floor and made for the sink, turning the taps. He wondered what she was doing, but to his amazement it steamed up quickly and he realised this house had perks if it still had hot water. He followed suit and placed his sword with hers.

She was scrubbing her skin roughly, her sun kissed gold colour changing to a reddish pink tone. Her teeth were clenched so tightly her jaw flexed from the tension. He moved forward slowly, wondering exactly what had happened in those woods, in the small space of time they'd been separated she seemed...wired. Her body was so rigid with tension it radiated off of her in waves. He'd been edging closer, his body no more than a foot from her now and he reached out and touched her shoulder, trying for reassurance.

She moved so quickly, slapped his hand away and drew her gun on him, aiming it right between his eyes. He held his hands up in defence. "Whoa..." her nostrils flared, her eyes glazed over and her finger played at the trigger. "...I wasn't gonna hurt you Olivia." She twitched her neck in response and pressed the barrel harder against his forehead. "Olivia." His voice was filled with panic. She dropped the gun and placed it back in the holster. Her expression was emotionless and she returned to her previous task of scrubbing at her skin.

He waited for his heartbeat to steady and his body to stop shaking before he spoke to her once again, trying to keep a safe distance he suggested. "If there's hot water why don't you have a quick shower and I'll make something for the kids?" She froze; the scrubbing brush held in mid-air, the silence was deafening and seemed to last longer than the 15 seconds it took for her to respond.

"No." she threw the brush into the sink and shut the tap off. "Go tell them to come down now. I said I'd make breakfast." And with that she turned and went into the small cupboard to get whatever she was gonna cook.

His feet seemed to be stuck for a few seconds, but he did as instructed, fearing another staring match with her 9mm would only serve to fuel whatever fire was burning inside her at the moment; and this time he might not survive the end result.

As he made his way to the attic an internal battle took place and he would swear to god the devil was dancing on his shoulder. His mind was racing, thinking why?

Why was he just doing as instructed?

Why was he so obedient when he didn't owe this girl nothing?

He'd betrayed his blood to save her hide and she shows her appreciation by putting a gun to his head. But what he saw in her eyes, he'd seen before on the battlefield. She hadn't really shared anything with him so far, nothing about her life before this shit had gone down. He didn't even really know her. She could be unstable? But the other side of him; the side that was attracted to this woman, knew that the responsibility she had on her shoulders and the constant battle to try and keep things normal for those kids could be a potential danger for anyone's sanity.

He called in a loud whisper. "Kids, breakfast in 5." He got no response and the cord was pulled up tightly. "Olivia said come down." A slight shuffle told him they were moving and the string dropped. He pulled it down only to have the barrel of the younger girls' gun pointed at him. "Jesus." He said sarcastically. He just couldn't win with the woman of this family.

He sighed and rolled his eyes at the statuesque children who wouldn't move from their spot. "I'll be downstairs." He turned and left them.

* * *

Olivia stood in the pantry; not really focused on anything, she felt numb and electrified at the same time. She had wanted to pull that trigger so badly and see if she would still…feel anything. She thought it would be a true test, but reality told her it wasn't going to be that quick or easy to forget.

She saw the fear in his eyes, in the sound of his voice and it felt good. It felt so good to feel that power over someone when she had no control over anything else. Her mind went back to the morning's event, to that spot in the woods, to what she'd done.

**_She'd stood at the opening of where she'd gone into the brush; the bodies of the undead behind her, when a small moan had her spinning on her heels. She pulled the gun from its holster; no longer caring if the shots attracted others, to be faced with an encounter she never wanted to deal with._**

**_There - amongst the fallen - moved a dead child. Its grey mottled skin and milky eyes fixed on Olivia. _**

**_She stood stock still as the small creature shuffled slowly towards her, its blood covered mouth growling, and all her big brave words about not caring anymore seemed to falter. Tears burned in her eyes and a lump formed in the back of her throat when she saw the bite marks scattered across the little girl's body._**

**_Her body moved of its own volition towards the child, her gun falling to her side in a defeated manor. She was not highly religious, but she wondered if God was real at this point because if he was he was a cruel master. Only a few feet separated them now; both human and undead about to collide once again, and Olivia stopped. The child's face morphed into Lilly's and her breath hitched in her throat, the tears spilled over onto her cheeks and she fell to her knees. The world seemed to move in slow motion and the creature with her sister's face launched its tiny body at her._**

**_She grasped its arms, holding it back as it snapped its teeth viciously at her face. The tears continued to fall and she spun the child in her arms, crossing its small limbs over one another and held it tightly to her chest. It tried to chomp at her arm, but it couldn't reach. Sobs racked her body and her tears joined the mass of dirt that had accumulated on the back of the girl's clothes. It battled against her hold, constantly trying to taste her flesh. The sound of the rotten teeth crashing together sounded like voodoo drums and drove her crazy._**

**_Suddenly all seemed silent and still; a ringing played in her ears like a sound loop, even the bugs had disappeared. The jerking movements of the creature in her arms shook her body, but no sound filtered through her head._**

**_She shifted the undead child and held her to the side with one arm. It tried to turn and take a bite of her face, the acrid smell from its mouth returning her feelings of nausea. Olivia knew what needed to be done and her tears abruptly ended._**

**"_I'm sorry." She said flatly. She released her grip and its arms flailed wildly as it tried to turn and grab at her, she'd pulled the child's head quickly to the side and plunged her knife into the tiny ear. The small stud earring that sat in her lobe; shaped in the letter K, was now dark red from the gush of blood that came from its head and the body of the child fell like a rag doll_.**

And as she stood in small kitchen with the beans and tinned ham cooking on the stove she closed her eyes and shivered. Looking back at it, it seemed like a long span of time, but it was no time at all, it was over in minutes.

She heard them sit at the table, scraping chairs and cutlery sounded into the kitchen. She had found some packeted tortillas that had stayed fresh in a bread box, so they would have a good filling meal for the day.

The menial task had helped her to think and she'd decided they would stay for a few more days, the propane tank had about that much left in it and she didn't see the point in leaving when they would have hot water. Then they would join Maggie's group at the farm, test those waters and make a decision.

She plated their food, served and sat at the table. Her appetite was gone and the thought of eating made her feel sick, but her body needed it so she ate it slowly. The children were smiling when she put it in front of them and they ate with glee. The Soldier kept stealing glances at her with each forkful that entered his mouth.

She didn't want to look at him, so she just pushed her food around the plate; all the while, she pictured the knife again and again as it pierced the skull of the little girl. Her hands clenched around her cutlery and she looked up when Josh said. "You ok Livvy?" She looked at his worried expression as his eyes darted from her hands to her face quickly several times and she sat motionless.

"Olivia?" Lilly added and she looked into the face of her little sister, only it wasn't Lilly's face she saw, it was the face of the undead child.

The ice that had started to form around her heart added another cold layer and it was the final straw, the world as they knew it was truly over.

'God help us all' she thought, but she realised now that God had left them a long time ago.

* * *

**A.N.2 - I hope you like this installment and drop a review if you can. Thanks. **

**Jada**


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N This chapter is from the soldier's point of view, just a slight filler chapter while I work on the next installment! **

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**

* * *

They spent the next few days in the routine of Sleep, Sweep and eat. Olivia made him do his patrol outside of the attic with the door sealed tightly, but was showing him a little more trust with each passing day.

Jackson watched her move about in silence, making her way around the kitchen clearing the plates, it was rather domestic; save for the fact she looked like death warmed up. She hadn't been sleeping and despite her lenience of distrust in him over the last few days, he could hear her tossing and turning in the attic during his watch; even _from_ outside of it. The dark circles under her eyes and the sallow look of her skin had him worried, plus she hadn't eaten anything substantial in days so she moved lethargically in her tasks.

The children had steered clear of her; even the little girl who distrusted _him_ to the point of not engaging him in any way, had only spoken to her when necessary. He tried to get Lilly to join in, but failed at every attempt to get her to relax around him, asking her questions and offering to show her a few moves to get out of a stronger persons hold or a hostile situation. She refused him every time, only answering his questions with simple answers that afforded no continuation of conversation. The boy however took to him like a duck to water, he lapped up the attention and couldn't wait to be shown a new move or practice what he'd already been taught.

After the incident at the dinner table the little boy seemed frightened to be too close to Olivia. He did everything she instructed, but there was a fear in his eye and Jackson knew she noticed it and it bothered her. The time he spent with Josh was productive and it kept the little boy from pestering her. He had been showing him how best to beat his opponents with the small sword she had given him. Making sure he understood that you had to destroy the brain in order to really kill those things off. He was small so his blows wouldn't be very substantial, but at least he had a general idea on how to defend himself.

There hadn't been much activity from the dead since that day, maybe one or two that wondered onto the property. He guessed the bodies they'd left out there had deterred the others and the smell from the rotting corpses threw off the scent of their warm flesh. They were lucky enough not to have any other visitors looking for their friends either.

The kids were quietly playing a game of cards on the floor of the main room, their faces locked in deadly concentration. He wanted to speak to Olivia privately. Maybe try and get her to tell him what happened in those woods. He was planning to go take a look if she didn't open up and let whatever was eating at her off her chest. She was gonna die if she didn't.

He was about to do his perimeter check anyway, but he'd give her the chance to; as he had every day, let him be her sounding board. She had started cleaning the guns on the table, expertly laying each piece on its surface. Her eyes drooped a little and she let them close for a few seconds before they shot back open again. When he quietly said "Hey." It was like he'd electro shocked her and she jumped off the chair, her eyes blinking rapidly. A piece of the 9mm fell to the ground and he bent and picked it up for her, holding it out with a meaningful look.

"I don't want to talk about it. So drop it." she returned to her task, her steely gaze warning him to leave it.

"Fine, but…" he bent down next to her ear; she shuddered as if someone had walked across her grave, when his warm breath hit her neck. "…You need to let it go somehow. Those kids need you."

Her face remained stoic and her eyes glazed over blankly. She slowly raised them up to meet his and the same nothingness he saw in those creatures he saw in her soul and it terrified him more than he'd care to admit.

He gulped and took a step back, nodding and making for the door. He'd discover the source for himself, a few more days of this and he was afraid she'd shut down completely. He stopped and called towards the children. "Hey, you two." They both looked up simultaneously. "Keep alert I'ma' do a sweep." Two small heads nodded together reminding him of the dogs that sat in the back of his buddy Thomas's pickup, the thought causing a moment of sadness to pass over him before he left the house.

He did a quick check, the shed being his main concern as it housed the propane tank. He checked the gauge to see how much was remaining and made a mental note then back tracked and came to the spot where Olivia's tracks faintly remained. He followed them to the edge of the woods and searched the surrounding area with a quick look, there seemed to be nothing dangerous out in the open, but the thickness of the trees proved difficult to penetrate with just the naked eye. He'd have to venture in to get an idea of any potential creatures that may be in wait.

He stepped over some bramble and the smell hit his nostrils before he saw them, the bodies of 5 or so of the dead lay on the woodland floor. Heads bashed in and flies buzzing around the bludgeoned corpses. He brought his hand to his mouth and nose to try and stop the regurgitation from making an appearance, his breakfast turning in his stomach at the nasty stench in the air.

He thought about his time in the army and how he'd never had to get used to that type of smell because they took care of their dead and made sure to keep them from ever getting to this state.

He walked towards the bodies that lay close together examining their deteriorated state, admiring the quick work she obviously made of the dead. A hand sat alone amongst the corpses and Jackson wondered if she had known some or one of these people that it would affect her this much. Maybe she was having a breakdown or something, he didn't know. He turned and begun to move back to the house and he spotted something through the trees, it was a little way from where he'd entered and he didn't know how he'd missed it before. He broke out into a small run upon noticing just what it was, knocking branches to the side noticing where they had been snapped before and there in a small gathering of trees that had twisted together and formed an arch lay a child, placed inside the small hollow. A single flower had been placed at the mouth of the opening and she looked like she was sleeping peacefully to hide from the midday sun. Her hands were tucked at the side of her head where the final blow had occurred; he could see the blood that stained her neck and open wound the knife had caused. She was so young, probably younger than Josh and he could now see why Olivia was behaving strangely. He didn't know if he'd have the balls to do something like that, he would probably run away and cry like a little baby at the prospect.

He crossed his chest to show his respect, a sign to God to keep this little angel safe up there and away from the demons that now walked the earth. His Grandmamma had raised him a good Christian boy and despite what he'd seen in the war and over the past few weeks, he still hoped that God was looking out for His children.

He said a quick prayer and quickly returned to the house. When he entered it was so quiet and he wondered if they'd up and left him, he knew Olivia wanted to leave and head for her friend Maggie's farm.

"Hello?" he called softly. He got no reply. He walked slowly into the living room and Lilly sat silently reading a book. "Didn't you hear me call?" The little girl shook her head and continued to read. He raised an eyebrow. "Where's your sister?" The girl pointed upwards and he huffed and made his way up.

The attic door was down so he called up "Olivia. You up there?" The door at the end of the hallway flew open and he raised his gun as she stepped out of it. She didn't flinch and he placed it back at his side.

"No, Josh is sleeping, he doesn't feel well." She said flatly.

He nodded and she turned back. "What are you doing in there?" he quizzed. She didn't answer and he followed her closing the door behind him. A white wicker chair with deep red cushions had been placed at the window and the curtain blew a little at the small summer breeze. A whiskey bottle sat on the small side table right next to it; its lid lay on the surface and half the bottle was gone. Girl could hold her liquor if she'd drunk all that and was still standing.

"What do you want?" she asked with a hint of annoyance before she fell heavily on the bed and stared out the open window.

"I know what happened out there." Her head whipped so fast he's surprised her neck didn't snap her round eyes went wide, welling up as the memories assaulted her. She gulped, breaking eye contact with him as she picked up the bottle and took a big swig of it. "You did what you had to Olivia. God knows what you feel…" She cut him off abruptly.

"God doesn't know how I feel. We're in Hell." A deadly look fell across her face.

He shook his head. "No. This isn't Hell Olivia and if it is, don't let the Devil win."

"Win. WIN." She yelled standing and facing him. "Look around. He's already won." She gestured with wide arms and took another shot from the bottle.

"You know that's not gonna solve anything."

"So...What... Can't a girl just enjoy a drink without there being a problem! You know I don't even know why I bother with you. You're just some 'Redneck Soldier Cowboy' probably got half a brain cell if we're lucky." He knew she needed to let it all out; she was wound tighter than a jack in the box, so he decided to bait her a little more.

"Yeah, so what if I am. At least I ain't no stuck up, don't trust nobody, needs to relax a'lil, Bitch." He felt the breeze of the knife as it swung past his face, the edge clipping his cheekbone and cutting his face before it embedded into the wooden door behind him. She was in his face and punched him full pelt knocking him sideways. She swiped the back of his legs and he went down on his side; a pain shooting up to his hip. He couldn't believe she was whooping his ass. She kicked him in the chest, the air knocked from his lungs and he fell flat on his back. She stood over him one foot at each side as he gasped and sucked in air, she lowered herself down and was straddling his waist.

A rage burned in her; now he noticed slightly red, eyes and she placed both hands at the side of his head leaning their faces only a mere inch apart and he felt...scared. Him, a god damned Soldier, was scared of the woman who bore holes into his skull right now. He still had a hard time breathing and she hadn't said a word, he could taste her breath and smell the heady sent of bourbon there.

She licked her lips like some predatorial beast and let out a growl, he was a little excited at the dark look in her eye and taking a chance he closed the small gap between them crashing his lips against hers. Maybe a little distraction was what she needed right now. What they both needed.

She pushed against his chest and jumped like an antelope up and away from him; she swiped roughly at her mouth and started spitting lightly at the same time.

"What the hell?" she said once she'd finished scrubbing at her lips. The look of mortification was evident on her features and he smiled at the return of some of the normalcy in her eyes and voice. No more robotic responses he hoped.

"It wasn't that bad." He held his side as he sat up from the floor, hissing at the pain that shot through his ribs. "Think you might've cracked a rib there darlin'."

"Are you serious? Are you god damn serious!" she shouted angrily. "You kiss me and think that that's the answer, it's just gonna go away. What I had to do...What I did." She picked up the bottle and smashed it into the corner of the room, sounding like a gunshot. The brown liquid sliding down the wall just like her control was sliding and he saw her lose her last bit of it. "Do you know what it felt like to end that little girls'...suffering? That little girl who was only a few years younger than my own sister. What kind of world have we been left living in? If you can call it living." He didn't interrupt to tell her he knew exactly what it felt like. He just let her continue to get it out. "I was gonna let it bite me. I almost did." Worry crept into his body then and he moved from his sitting position on the floor eliciting a loud grunt as he did so.

"Olivia?" He said questioningly.

"No." She began pacing back and forth then. "I don't need your pity!" She spat venomously. "I need to remain vigilant, I need to stay focused." Her calm and control finding its grip once again and she stopped pacing, running her hands over her hair and down her clothes to smooth them out. Taking a deep breath she was back to her former state.

"Let's get everything packed up and ready to go. We're leaving tomorrow at first light." And with that she marched out of the room leaving him there staring dumbfounded at her.

She'd gotten over it quickly; a little too quickly, so either she was truly fine or she was a damn good actress?

* * *

**A.N2 Drop a review if you can. Thanks, Jada**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hey Sorry for the delay in uploading. I've been so busy lately and feeling a little uninspired as of late, but I hope you enjoy the chapter. I have written the next installment on paper and hope to have it up sometime next week hopefully.**_

_**Disclaimer: See Ch1**_

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She walked out of the room in a rush; the feeling of suffocation became almost unbearable as stars crept into her peripheral vision. She felt sick, the taste and burn of the whiskey churned her stomach into knots. She grabbed hold of the railing as she swayed a little before she sucked in a deep breath and exhaled to stop the alcohol from reappearing on the carpet. She heard his shuffling feet coming from the room and made her way hastily down the stairs.

Thankfully Josh was tucked up safely in the attic sleeping; although now she wasn't so sure with the ruckus they'd just made. He was burning up, his temperature a little high, but she'd managed to find some children's medicine in one of the cabinets and fed it to him, she'd let him be until he woke.

When she got to the bottom step the effects of the drink were really beginning to take their toll on her body and mind, it felt fuzzy and her head heavy, the adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins now diminished. Olivia knew she needed some food in her system to soak some of it up and she shook her head in an effort to try and clear it a little.

She went straight to the kitchen and grabbed some of the packet, ready to eat snacks that would hopefully help ease her drunken state. What the hell was she thinking? How could she be so selfish and get wasted when there were people who relied on her? She decided that once she'd eaten and drunk a pint of water she would take two aspirin before joining the youngest member of the group in slumber and sleep it off. That was until she saw Lilly sitting quietly on the sofa reading; the youngster didn't even acknowledge her when she stood in the doorway. She appeared to be reading, but upon closer inspection she was staring blankly at the pages not really looking at anything. Worry crept into her body at the deadening blank stare the little girl was wearing on her pretty features, she must have felt lonely the last few days. Olivia knew Lilly disliked the soldier very much and refuted his attempts to make conversation, but she'd been wallowing selfishly in her own troubled mind and had forgotten the most important thing in all this – that the children relied on her and needed her to be strong.

Olivia made to speak; her mouth forming a little 'o', before rethinking it and heading back into the kitchen once again. She didn't know what to say to the little girl, she hadn't been herself these past few days and in turn had isolated the one person she loved the most, had ignored the forlorn look in her eyes and the need for comfort her sister craved. She shook her head and felt the beginnings of a headache form at her brow; pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers and closing her eyes. When she opened them again she wasn't alone. The soldier now filled the space of the doorway, watching her closely and she wondered how much time had passed because she hadn't heard him enter.

"Just…don't." She ordered when he opened his mouth to say something and hoisted herself onto the counter, ripping open the packet of...she doesn't even know; it wasn't crackers that's for sure, but it tasted good. Her worry for Lilly grew a little more with each bite and they were finished before she realised it, so she opened the chips that tasted like sweet chilli rice, they were a little dry and she gulped the glass of water down like a traveller that had been lost in the desert.

The soldier moved into the kitchen rubbing at his ribs and a question popped into Olivia's head, but before her brain could fully engage with her mouth she blurted it out. "How come you're not still with the rest of the men...Soldiers I mean; if there's any left, fighting these things? Or were you just not there at all?" His head shot up at her question, anger and fear clearly etched across his face. He didn't speak, but he didn't have to, the silence spoke volumes. "Where you scared?" She asked genuinely. He just stood staring at her, eyes burning; the almost black pupils fully dilated. She popped another chip into her mouth and raised her eyebrow at him.

"I..." He faltered, his brain searching for the words as he grabbed the counter opposite her to steady himself. The distance between them seemed like a gaping Grand Canyon even though they were only metres apart. "...it wasn't like that." She could see unshed tears in his eyes and her curiosity peaked a little more. She popped the last chip into her mouth and gulped the last of her water, sliding off the counter; her stomach turning unappreciatively.

"Really?" she replied; her tone curious yet filled with sarcasm.

"You don' know what it was like Olivia." His tone was dark, almost threatening.

"What...what is it that I don't know huh?" She leant back on the counter resting on her palms as he straightened up. He looked down, took a deep breath and gathered himself. When he looked up, she saw real fear in his eye; unmasked, with a true, deep rooted horror.

"I was called up and stationed at Fort Benning; even though I had just finished my tour of duty, they said all soldiers were being recalled. At first it was routine and people moved through easily enough, we had to set up road blocks in and out, posted men all around the perimeter of the facility. Then there was so many people; screaming and…and we did'n know the extent of the infection or what it could do." She found herself sobering a little with each word he spoke. "Whatev'r it is, this disease, it's already in us. And it don' matter if ya bit or scratched or just fall down from a heart attack, you still come back. I saw it with my own eyes."

"What?" she whispered and didn't know why, her grip on the counter tightening.

"One of the guys in my temp'ry unit, he got shot by a civilian, hit 'im in the neck and nicked an artery, he died from the blood loss. When we were moving his body he came back right in front of me and at first we were confused…no one moved, but when that sheet fell off'a his face and his eyes, god his eyes, they were..." he sucked in a breath, his accent breaking through more with each revelation and a far off look came over him. "...he grabbed for the guy next to him, took a chunk clean right outta him and then I shot it between the eyes…and put a bullet in the other guy too. From then on it was chaos. Creepers all over the place, bullets flying, people shootin' at each other. When the fires broke out, most guys abandoned their posts. Some stayed, but after watching so much death I needed'ta make sure my family, my Grandmamma was ok." He looked back at her then and somehow she found herself standing just a few feet away from him; her intrigue had driven her closer. "I never been so happy to see her holding a gun then when I walked in that day. She's all I had left." A lone tear fell down his face then.

Olivia shifted uneasily on her feet, her eyes locked with his in terror. She'd noted his use of the word _had_ and she felt a little ashamed that she was the reason for it. The information he'd just bestowed on her had sent a cold chill through her body though.

"We're already infected?" The small voice broke through the veil of shock and they both turned their heads in the direction of the question.

"Lilly." Olivia breathed out; the images of the little dead girl now seemed more like a premonition and her heart felt like it was in a vice, she walked forward and encased the little girl in her arms. She only received a small response and noticed how rigid the child felt in her embrace.

"Well?" The younger continued. "Are we?" Her eyes bore into the soldier questioningly; her voice an octave higher than normal, the stubborn nature coming to the forefront of her curiosity.

"I believe so." Came her reply with a nod.

The child seemed to age 10 years before Olivia's eyes sighing deeply and brought her arm around the elders' waist, finally relaxed against her, but gripping tighter as her tiny body seemed to shake.

"Listen to me Lilly." Olivia pulled her back so she could face the child, holding her shoulders in support. "It doesn't change anything. In fact it makes it that much easier that we know, and don't have any surprises coming our way now." The steely gaze she recieved reminded her of her own and she smiled at the toughness her little 'boo' was showing. She touched her fingers to the girls chin before drawing her in for a bone crushing hug. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting for the past few days. It was selfish if me, but I think it helped me understand I have a lot to fight for and keep safe." She glanced at the soldier where a smile graced his lips. She laid a kiss to the top of the child's head, feeling her arms squeeze against her a little more.

"Are you better now?" The flat muffled words barely audible.

"Yes. And I really am sorry, but I promise it will be just like it was." The little girl looked up into her eyes, light brown meeting deep green with a chilling look. Olivia stroked the side of her face trying to reassure her once again and abate the inert look in the child's eyes.

"It's never gonna be the same." She said laying her head back on Olivia's chest.

"What do you mean honey?" Dread filled her body at the younger girls despairing tone.

"If we're all already infected, we're all gonna turn into those things no matter what we do." Lilly let go then and moved back, their hands clasped together instead. "It's just a matter of time."

The alcohol still played with her body and Olivia felt nauseous at the words that spewed from her little sister's mouth. She broke the protective circle of their joined fingers and laid a palm flush against her forehead at the sudden heat-wave that came over her. The sadness in the little girls' eye was unbearable to look at and Olivia ran her hand over her face, attempting to scrub away the alcohols effects and looked to the soldier.

He'd been quiet throughout their exchange, eyes trained on the youngster; his demeanour also looked pityingly at her. So much for trying to keep a bit of normalcy in their lives, now they had to deal with the fact that they were 'fated' to turn into one of the things they not only feared, but killed – mostly - on a daily basis.

Olivia chuckled at her own thoughts, causing the two other figures in the room to look at her like she was bat shit crazy.

"Don't worry. I just can't help but laugh at our situation."

"What's to laugh about?" The soldier questioned flatly, breaking his silence.

"Well if I don't laugh, I'll probably cry." She looked at Lilly then, the little girls faced marred by the fact that they were pretty much dead already despite their best efforts to stay alive. She didn't want to see that look on her face or anybody's for that matter. "I don't care what you saw or what you think you know, but we are gonna survive this thing and we are gonna keep fighting until the devil himself comes for us, ya hear." The strength in her voice surprised even herself.

They both looked at her like she was nuts and she placed a determined smile on her face to show she was; probably crazy as hell, but she was over it now! Over her own self-pitying and damned attitude.

"I like ya thinkin'." The soldier smiled back at her, his demeanour changing at the prospect of the idea and provided a united front. One she hoped would take away the blighted look in the little girl's face.

She looked at her Lilly; the piece of her heart that always kept her sane and free of the darkness that lurked at the edges of her mind in this dangerous new world. The little girls face still bore the sadness, but Olivia could swear she saw something click behind her eyes and the smile that graced her lips; although small, was all the encouragement they required.

"What about Josh?" Lilly quizzed, her brow furrowing with the question.

The two adults shared a look of doubt on the subject. But Olivia hadn't gotten them this far by being political about it. If they were going to survive they needed to be on the same page regardless of age, race or gender. She would decide on what they cold and couldn't know, but this was important and something that they should all be aware of.

"We'll tell him too." She stated.

She was the leader here, she needed to step up. They needed her to step up or they might as well all just shoot each other in the head.

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Lilly was back in the spot she had occupied earlier and picked up the book she had been trying to read for the last few days. She felt better that Olivia was kind of back to herself, but she noticed that her eyes didn't seem as bright as they used to be and that; even though she was trying to be her normal self, she still looked sad. She'd heard them fighting upstairs and ignored it because she knew Olivia could handle her own. Don't matter that he was a soldier, Olivia was stronger than most of the boys she knew!

She'd been told they would be heading to Maggie's farm at first light and so they had to be packed and ready. Olivia didn't look too well and Lilly suspected that Josh had given her his sickness and hoped she didn't get it too, so her sister had took two pills and went to lie down with Josh.

She was a little tired herself, but she didn't want to sleep with just Jackson walking around, she didn't trust or like him. He looked at Olivia in that funny way that boys look at girls when they like them and _she_ didn't like it because Olivia didn't look at him like that at all, he should take the hint. He walked in then and Lilly's eyes turned to suspicious slits, but she quickly looked down and pretended to be reading.

"Hey, your sister upstairs?" She just nodded in response, not wanting to talk to him unless absolutely necessary. He came over and pulled the small coffee table over and sat on it in front of her, placing his gun at his side. She refused to look up and he sat there silently staring at her, she could feel his eyes on her even though she wasn't looking. She huffed, put the book beside her and finally relented to looking at him.

"What?" she said indignantly.

"You don' like me very much huh?" he asked her like she was Josh's age and she smirked because he was an idiot to think 'baby talk' would work on her.

"I think I've been _abundantly_ clear on that one." Her Grandma used that word a lot so she knew what it meant and English was her strongest subject at school, showing him she wasn't just some little kid.

"You know I won't hurt any of you, right? That I'm here to help you and keep ya safe!" His tone was completely different and he was looking her in the eyes, something Grandpa said was a way to see if they were telling the truth or not. She thought about Grandpa a lot lately and missed him terribly, but she was glad he didn't have to be in this world and see what it had become. He was a proud man and liked order in life. Olivia was a lot like Grandpa in many ways, but she thinks Olivia is stronger, more able to –What's that word - adapt and Lilly always wanted to be like Olivia. "Lilly?" Her focus had wondered and she was brought back by his worried tone and concerned expression. He didn't fool her though.

"Olivia can take of us. We don't need you!" She sounded mean; as mean as Riley Turner was to Frankie Howell in school, and he jerked back a little.

He took a deep breath and sighed before closing his eyes, she knew he was annoyed and frustrated with her. Her ability to fluster people with her stubbornness was a special talent her Grandmother said only she possessed. She shot him a polite smile as he pursed his lips trying to come up with an answer she would only rebuff anyway.

"What have I gotta do to prove to ya that I only wanna protect ya?" His question threw her a little; it wasn't what she'd been expecting at all. 'Protect her' pfft!

She leant back against the sofa cushions and crossed her arms, her imagination running wild at what he would actually do if she asked. She could tell him to just leave because she'd never trust him, but she decided that it would be more fun to make him do something horrible. Her mind ticked over all the pranks she ever seen kids do, but they were mostly juvenile and she wanted him to suffer.

An idea sprung to mind and she would unfortunately need his help for it to happen. "Take me to the forest."

"No, No, No. Your sister would rip me a new one if I took you outside." She couldn't help but laugh a little at how wide his eyes went and the scared expression on his face, but she'd seen Olivia mad and knew why he was scared.

"She's sleeping and you would be with me so I'll be fine." She paused as he pondered. "Are you not able to take care of me then?"

"I…I…" His head shook from side to side.

"Fine. If you too scared then leave me alone. You obviously don't want my trust." She went to pick her book back up, but he stopped her.

"What exactly do you want from out there?" His gaze was slightly apprehensive. She just raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." He quirked his head and twisted his lips to the side before nodding.

"Ok. Get your gun." She grinned triumphantly.

They stood at the edge of the forest and Lilly waited as he scanned the surrounding area for any sign of creepers.

"This is a bad idea." He said as he came over to her.

"Stop being such a wimp." She countered. If she wasn't so good at pretending he'd see just how scared she really was, she thought he wouldn't have brought her and now she kinda wished he hadn't. They walked a little way into the dense mass of trees, both sets of eyes darting side to side. The thick leaves overhead blocked any of the remaining daylight above and created an eerie atmosphere around them. The quiet itself was unnerving; there wasn't even the sounds of insects.

"I think this is far enough. What is it ya looking for anyways?"

She'd almost forgot why they'd come out here in the first place and she began her search for the disgusting stuff she wanted for him. She didn't bother to answer knowing it would make him even madder.

"Ah. Here it is." She picked up the little brown pellets that scattered the forest floor and held them out to him. "You want to prove you can be trusted. Eat them."

His nostrils flared and his face turned red. "Are you serious?" He shrugged with arms spread questioningly. "You want me to eat squirrel shit?" He asked incredulously. She stayed rooted with her arm extended towards him and just nodded with a no nonsense expression.

He sighed and ran his hand through his very short hair, looking back and forth between her face and what was in her hand. He pushed his fist against his hip and licked his lips before wiping at them with a look of disgust.

"Well?" she said challenged, gesturing forward with her hand.

His lip twitched to the side and he took the pellets from her hand, looking down at them with utter disgust. He threw the little black blobs into his mouth and swallowed turning away, choking a little and gagging.

Lilly felt sick just watching him and couldn't believe he'd actually done it. When he turned back his eyes were red from his effort to not puke and his face had paled a little. "Satisfied?" He asked in a strained voice.

"That was disgusting. I can't believe you actually did that." She turned away to walk back to the house, her nose scrunched and she visibly shuddered.

He came up behind her and fell into step beside her. "Am I worthy now?" He had a slight grin on his face; although still a little pale and she gave him a dirty look. Wait she'd asked him to do it and he had, he wanted to prove to her and she'd asked him to do this; although she didn't really think he would do it, so she couldn't really be horrible to him, at least not right now.

"You ate Squirrel poop just to gain my trust." He stopped then and she whirled around at him. He was looking side to side, scanning the area with a look of worry. He locked eyes with her, flicking his head forward and she nodded quickly moving towards the house. When they were jogging across the open grass behind the house; both a little out of breath, she heard him say. "Yes by the way."

"Huh?"

"Yeah I ate squirrel poop so ya'd see I was trustworthy."

"You know that's gross though right?" he just shrugged.

"I've eaten worse." She scrunched her nose and didn't bother to ask what; she didn't want to know!

They scrambled up the porch and turned around scanning the tree line, Lilly had no idea why they'd been running; she hadn't actually seen a creeper or anything, just that they got a weird feeling and both just am-scrayed. She studied the man beside her with a scrutinising gaze, his distraction giving her time to study him.

He was tall; even taller than Olivia and she was tall for a girl, he had muscles like the guy from the fitness infomercial that played on the shopping channels when Grandma was making breakfast and his hair and eyes were dark, dark brown to match his tanned stubble face. He was actually kinda pretty for a boy, but that didn't always mean nice, sometimes people just pretended until you let your guard down and then they pounced. She'd seen it on Olivia's favourite TV show before.

"It doesn't matter you know." She said indifferently.

"What do you mean?" He turned to her then, breaking his vigilance.

"Whether or not you have my trust because I still don't really like you."

"So I ate the shit for nothin'" he said disbelievingly.

"No, I _trust_ you now, but Olivia will _never_ kiss you when she finds out you ate squirrel poop." He stared dumbfounded at her.

"This was all because ya feel threatened. Like I'm'a take her away from you?" Voice an octave above normal.

"That's something you could never do no matter how hard you tried. She'd kill you first." Her tone was deadly and menacing, sounding foreign even to her own ears.

"I don't doubt it." He replied with resignation. "We should get on inside now. I think we should start packing things up. Your sisters gonna have a bit of a headache when she wakes." He sounded a little defeated and she actually felt bad.

She turned and went back into the house, returning to the spot on the sofa she'd deemed hers and picked up the book. He followed her in and she started to clear the few items that they'd brought into the main room and took them to the dining table.

"If we put it all on here it'll be easier to pack it up in the morning." She told him.

"Good idea." He placed his gun on the table as well and started clearing the few items from the cupboards and sides of the kitchen. When he came back in she was shifting uncomfortably on her feet and he asked. "What?" with a nod.

"So are we _really_…already infected?" She bit at her bottom lip. Maybe he was wrong?

"I saw it with my own eyes Lilly. More than the one time you heard about, trust me."

"Olivia says that if we get bit or turn into one of those things, we have to put that person out of their misery. Nobody should be left like that, left without a soul." He came over to her and she put her hand on her gun. He stopped and looked at her sarcastically and she relaxed a little, feeling foolish and took her hand off the weapon. She didn't know what he expected, they'd only been talking to each other for 5 minutes; it wasn't like they were best friends.

He knelt down and held out his hand to her, but she looked at him sceptically. "How bout we make a deal?"

She jutted her chin forward and gave him a dubious look. "What kind of a deal?" Her tongue flicking across her top lip unconsciously.

"If any of us get bit we make sure they don't end up a creeper? Ya old enough and capable enough with that thing..." Pointing to her gun. "...To be able to do that." He held his hand for her taking once again and she decided he really wasn't that bad actually.

She took his hand and shook. "Deal."

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_**A.N: Drop a review if you can as I could do with a little help/stimulus. I have also wrote a one shot I'm not sure about, it's a Andrea/Daryl ship that I will upload sometime over the weekend once I've edited it for the 5th time. **_

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**Jada**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Hey, so I finally finished editing this chapter and any mistakes that are still in it are totally my own and I apologize in advance. This has quite a Dark beginning and I warn of the Horror that it entails. I hope you enjoy, so here goes...**_

_**Disclaimer: See Ch1**_

* * *

They left for the farm in the early hours of the morning as the sun peeked above the skyline, Olivia had slept through most of the afternoon and late into the evening before she'd woken the previous day; her alcoholic adventure giving her a decent few hours of sleep at least, and took over watch from Jackson and surprisingly Lilly.

She noticed the subtle change in the way the two interacted as they went up to the attic; their demeanour slightly more relaxed around one another. She'd found that they had piled all their supplies onto the dining table and she appreciated them for it; it made it easier for her to pack it all quietly in the truck whilst they'd slept. Josh had slept through the night and had woken feeling better; his temperature back to normal, which she was thankful for. The soldier had offered to drive and although she was still wary of him she handed the keys over, giving him the directions Maggie had imparted on her and they'd piled into the truck.

The road seemed to stretch as the sun rose a little higher over the horizon - into still partially darkened sky - and Olivia felt relaxed as the warm air whipped at the ends of her hair; today would be as hot as all the others before it. The children chatted quietly in the background and to any outside observers they would appear to be any normal, young family; perhaps on a day out travelling to visit grandparents and relatives, but Olivia knew those ideals were long gone and no amount of wishing was gonna get it back.

"How far away is the Farm Olivia?" Josh's little voice resounded from behind her.

"Not far I don't think." She replied.

"Will there be Cows and Pigs? Ooohhh...and Horses?" The enthusiasm in his voice elicited a chuckle from the driver and Olivia turned around to smile at the innocence of the youthful boy.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing it's highly likely." She reached over, ruffled his hair and he batted at her hands laughing.

She looked at her younger sibling sitting quietly; the younger's focus turned from gazing out the window and their eyes connected for only a moment, a small smile playing at the girls' lips before she turned her attention back out of the clear pane of glass. Her little features still held some residual sadness that Olivia could only guess pointed to their discovery - When they'd told Josh about the infection the little boy had _seemed_ to understand, but afforded no further questioning in the matter, she supposed the saying 'Kids were resilient' was an understatement where Josh was concerned.

"What the…" Her attention was shifted back to the road when the soldier spoke. The sight before them made her heart drop and the air in the vehicle quickly changed as black smoke plumes gave off a foreboding sense of darkness to come.

"Just…Drive faster." Her voice held a sense of urgency and she knew that something terrible had happened.

She spotted the mailbox she'd been told to look for and pointed for the soldier to take the turn off. The trees seemed to be moving as they approached the clearing and pulled up at its edge to find the burnt out shell of what she guessed used to be the barn. The fire had somehow spread to the house that was still aflame and a few creepers roamed the grassy banks around it, dead bodies' strewn about, some burnt to a crisp and others with bullet holes and missing heads.

She stepped out bewildered and looked at the devastation in front of her, nostrils filling with the stench of burnt, decayed flesh in the air as she rounded the front of the truck and she stood gawping like a lost tourist. Olivia knew this had to have occurred last night and felt an unnecessary guilt pool in her stomach when she was glad they hadn't been here.

"What the hell happened here?" The soldier said astounded as he approached her left side. She didn't have an answer and realised their chances of survival just dropped a point, but even though she felt dejected, she hoped that by some miracle Maggie and her group had made it out of there alive.

A small hand slid into her palm and she flinched at the contact, looking down at the stunned expression of the little boy at her side. Lilly floated in between herself and the soldier; a look of understanding passed between the man and the child, causing Olivia to smile.

"I guess there's no Cows left huh?" Josh said breaking their sombre silence.

"I doubt it buddy." The soldier answered, gazing out onto the embers of the barn.

"Maybe they ran into the woods?" Josh asked with hopefulness, his mood brightening a little.

Olivia smiled down at him and ran a hand down the side of his face. "Maybe?" She sighed looking back at the house, realising the few remaining dead had honed in on their presence. The moans slowly getting closer with each second that passed in the hopes of an easy meal. And then she thought - How could dead things hope?

"Let's get back in the car and get outta here. You two shouldn't be…" She begun as she turned around.

"Wait." Josh called, cutting her off. "Look?" He pointed and bounded along the tree line.

"Josh, No!" She shouted, her words echoing from the soldier beside her.

The child stopped just short of the treeline and picked up what he'd spotted. "It's a gun." He stated and turned unaware of any danger, holding it up for them to see. Olivia realised why she'd imagined the trees were moving, the dead filled the woods; daylight providing a better visual of the surrounding woodland.

"Josh, get back here now!" She called and motioned furiously with her arm. His little face filled with fear. Time seemed to move in slow motion as a creeper appeared from nowhere and stumbled from behind a large tree. Its filthy mottled hands grabbed the child, causing him to scream and drop the cursed object he'd found. Olivia sprinted towards them, gun raised, but she wasn't quick enough and it's rotting jaws descended, taking a chunk from his tiny upper arm as the child struggled in its dead grip. He cried out in pain and the shot rang out, connecting with the head of the undead monster.

The little boy clutched his arm and fell to his knees crying. "Olivia." He called through streaming tears when she got there. She picked him up, blood seeped from his wound all over her shirt and tears fell from both their eyes. More of the dead came from between the twisted roots, their scraggly, uncoordinated movements and ashen skin easier to spot.

She dashed towards the truck. "It's ok, just hold on." She sniffled. As she got to the vehicle the soldier stepped in front of her. "What are you doing?" She said through clenched teeth.

He just shook his head. She put the boy on his feet and got in the older males face, staring daggers at him. He clasped her arm and moved her away from the boy, she watched as Lilly took his little hand in hers and smiled at him, laying a kiss to the side of his head.

"He's been bit."

Her gaze locked on the soldier. "What do you expect me to do, shoot him right here and now?" she shouted quietly.

"No…I…I don't know." He ran a hand over his hair, frantically looking side to side at the approaching mass.

"We don't have time for this." She shoved past him; the dead were appearing in droves, and watched in horror as she saw Lilly raise her gun to the little boys head, his eyes widening in terror and she ran towards the two with the soldier close behind.

"I'm sorry Josh." She heard and then Lilly pulled the trigger and the tiny boys head jolted back, his body fell to the floor, small limbs no longer functioning. Olivia stopped dead in her tracks; shock rooting her feet to the ground. The little girl turned, nodding at the soldier before walking back and climbing into the truck, her face stoic and emotionless.

Olivia convulsed trying to breath, her breathes coming out shaky, body shuddering and she couldn't move. Both adults stood in complete astonishment.

"Let's go!" She heard the little girl call.

She started for the boy, but was gently pulled back by her male counterpart. "Don't Olivia." He said softly. The gunshots had brung more creepers from the surrounding woodland; the bang like a homing beacon for the dead and they began closing in quickly, she knew there was too many and her stomach lurched as she climbed into the waiting vehicle.

The truck spun as he slammed his foot on the accelerator, decrepit and bloodied dead hands slapping against the truck. He did a 180 bombing back in the direction of the main road; knocking down any of the undead that got in their way. Olivia glanced back at the small body and stifled a sob as she saw the dead find a feast in the tiny boy. Wondering if the living should bother to Hope any longer themselves?

They turned out of the dirt road sharply and more and more trees passed by in blurred vision. Olivia had no idea which direction they were headed; she felt numb, but forced the darkness that threatened to overwhelm her down in the pit of her stomach, right now they needed to stop and rethink.

"Pull over." She stated.

"What?" He asked like she was crazy.

"Pull. Over. Now!" she said enunciating each word.

"We need to get further away Olivia!" He protested; voice firm and unwavering.

Her tears still flowed freely and she wiped at them with force, sniffing and blowing out a rushed breath getting a hold of herself. She turned to look at the Lilly over her shoulder and couldn't keep the anger from her facial expression; she watched the child flinch slightly, but her little face remained stoic, eyes slightly wider than normal; that dead look back in their depths.

Olivia couldn't believe what the child had done; it was so unlike her to be that calm and cold, her young face held not even a hint of remorse and worry dampened the flames of Olivia's anger. She was too raw to take proper notice of the child's emotions; "Emotion was a weakness if you let it be" – another one of her Grandmothers' life lessons – and she knew how to hide behind a mask too. Lilly's one prominent on her face.

"Olivia." The soldier calls. "You can't blame her." He looks away guiltily. She furrows her brow and looks at him questioningly. He turned to the child and he nods at her once again. "Our deal still stands. You did the right thing, but next time…don't be so hasty." He says to the little girl and she turns her head to stare out the window. A sense of déjà vu fell over Olivia at the sight.

But this sudden development of their camaraderie relit the fire in her belly and she feels the flare of her nostrils as she shouts. "What the hell are you two talking about?" The accusatory tone showed her annoyance at being kept out of the loop and she looked between the two questioningly.

"We made a deal to put aside our differences and that if any of us happened to unfortunately get bit or scratched, well we'd…" he paused and his mouth fidgeted trying to find the right words. "…we'd make sure they weren't left to turn."

Olivia fumed and imagined that if this were a cartoon steam would be coming out of her ears right now. "So you two are Best Friends of a sudden and are making deals?" She yelled. "Exactly how long was I asleep for?" Sarcasm lacing her voice.

"No one should be left without a soul! That's what you said." Lilly piped in quietly from the back seat.

Olivia swallowed the rage that was building within and realised that the child was echoing her own words. She remembered them well enough; it seemed like a lifetime ago when in fact it had only been a little over a week that she'd said those exact words to her and Josh, along with the remark about shooting them if they got bit and she felt a fresh onslaught of tears threatening to overwhelm her. She bit her lip to stop them from appearing and buried her face in her hands. "Jesus." She whispered through them, realisation dawning on her.

"I think that… Whoa." The car jerked to the right and she looked up just in time to see them swerve out of the way of a blue truck. The screech of the brakes and the smell of burning rubber filled her senses; her truck came to a stop as it swung around, the driver's side now facing any oncoming cars that followed the blue pick-up; fortunately none followed. She was out in a flash, the two others quickly beside her with guns raised.

The blood splattered blue pick-up sat in the dip from the road to the treeline, the front of it wedged between two trees and smoke came from the hood. The doors sprung open and 3 figures slowly emerged – 2 women and a man – their clothes were layered in a coat of grime and sweat and they looked like they hadn't gotten any sleep last night; dark circles under their eyes matching her own. Blood splattered them also and Olivia felt like they mirrored her own situation, but her shirt was freshly caked and wet and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Hands where we can see 'em!" she hollered.

The dark haired woman grabbed for the young blonde who buried her head and cried into the woman's shoulder, the man stepping just in front of them like a great protector held his gun in his hand with an unrelenting look in his eye as the soldier flanked her left side and Lilly her right.

"Please." The dark haired woman pleaded. "We don't have anything to offer you." She looked and sounded exhausted; all of them did.

"Anybody hurt?" The soldier asked.

"No." The other older man said abruptly, hand flexing on his weapon.

"Please just let us go. We have nothing." The young blonde said through her sobs and turned to the woman. "We have to get back to my father and Maggie."

At the mention of the other woman's name Olivia dropped her stance a little. "Maggie?" she quizzed and the trio looked at her in confusion. "She and the Asian guy make it outta the farm?"

The older man's eyes squinted in suspicion and the older woman kept glancing at Lilly; her eyes kind and fearful for the child. "Yo…You know Maggie?" The fragile blonde said.

"Yes." Olivia replied. Something registered behind the young blondes eyes. Olivia could swear it was familiarity and she remembered the devastation of the farm. "I'm…I'm gonna lower my weapon. Ok." She said and slowly lowered her gun; she didn't holster it but held it at her side. "We just came from the farm…" Images of Josh's tiny body being torn to shreds by grey rotting teeth clouded her vision. She squeezed her eyes closed quickly to get rid of them and pushed down the bile that rose in her throat.

She heard the scuffle of feet and then the voice of the soldier "I wouldn't try it my friend." She opened her eyes and the man was a few feet closer to her, arm half raised and she mentally slapped herself for her mishap.

"Are you ok?" The dark haired woman said with a concerned gaze; the gaze of a mother.

It fell silent for a few moments; the air around them filled with tension, both sets of three all stood gazing at one another. The guy's nostrils flared at her and he spoke first. "How you know Maggie and Glen?" He voice belaying his disbelief.

Glen – that was it. "We met at the pharmacy in town. I saved her from a creeper." Nobody moved for several seconds all just scanning one another.

"Creeper?" He asked confusedly.

"Look." The soldier said. "Ya truck is outta commission and unless ya wanna walk to wherever it is ya goin'?" He left it unfinished, letting them choose which they'd prefer.

"How come they didn't mention you then?" The other man continued to probe.

"Beats me. You'll just have to ask them." Olivia replied with a sigh.

The blonde was the first to step forward despite the grabby protests of the older woman. "Lori, you wanna get back to Carl or what?"

Olivia stood firm and looked the older woman straight in her eye. "I swear to you, I'll get you to wherever you need to go safely." Her voice unwavering. The woman once again glanced at Lilly before looking at the stocky man in her trio, her face losing all the fight left in it. The man sighed and they stepped towards them.

"Firstly, ya need to hand that over though." The soldier piped in. The other man looked at Olivia and she nodded in agreement. He handed it to her with hesitance and a wary eye, still unsure of their trustworthiness.

"Ok then. Lilly?" Olivia gestured for the girl to move, but she watched the three with scrutiny, her tiny body still rigid and aiming at the man. "Lilly!" she said more forcefully. The child looked at her defiantly before she lowered her weapon and got into the truck slamming the door. After a quick exchange of names the three climbed in to.

The soldier was driving with the man called T-Dog up front who was giving him directions and Lilly sat on her lap in the back with the 2 women named Lori and Beth. The ride was quiet except for the most part before she recognized where they were heading and she felt Lilly stiffen a little when the girl realised too.

"Olivia?" Her voice came out in a not so well hidden whimper.

"I know." She replied stroking the child's hair.

"What's a matter honey?" Lori asked sympathetically. Lilly shook her head and buried it in Olivia's neck. Lori eyes searched Olivia's Green one's questioningly and although she didn't have to, she divulged the woman an answer.

"We lost our Grandmother in the traffic snarl up here just over a week ago." Had it really only been that long? It felt like weeks had passed since then. She could feel tears try to pool in her eyes but she fought them back. She couldn't show weakness right now!

"I'm sorry." The woman offered and reached her hand over to squeeze Olivia's. She slid it away after a few seconds, nodding appreciatively.

"Thanks."

"I have a little boy about your age." She tried to engage Lilly. "His name is Carl." She said smiling.

Lilly looked up with a little curiosity. "How old?"

"He's 10. It'll be nice for him to have a friend his own age again. I bet it'll be nice for you too maybe?" Olivia noted the slight hitch in Lori's voice when she said 'again' and stored it away for later evaluation.

"I shot the last boy I knew in the head." The smile dropped from Lori's face.

"Lilly." Olivia said, shocked at the little girl's flat admission.

"I had too. He got bit." The child continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"Lilly. That's enough!" Her voice held a deadly tone and the little girl knew she had overstepped the mark. She shrunk back against Olivia pouting slightly through a grimace. Lori's face had changed from shock to one of understanding and curiosity, but Olivia remained quiet, as did the rest of the short journey; the only sound coming from the quiet hum of the engine.

The truck slowed and crept through the graveyard of abandoned vehicles, Olivia gazed down the barriered roadside, her knife seemed to burn into her leg as images of Grandmothers wide dead eyes with her knife sunk into the head filled her brain. The soldier stopped when Lori spotted her son and husband crouch down behind a red 4X4 thankfully breaking her from her thoughts. Olivia spotted the approaching Creeper and quickly got out of the vehicle with a low whistle; her presence now distracting the attention off of the 2 males. The others clambered out of the vehicle when Olivia had dispatched of the creature with her hunting knife, running towards their Families and friends. The soldier, herself and Lilly stood to the side as the others hugged their family, but before they knew it the groups focus was upon them.

"Who are you?" Rick said; as she'd heard Lori call him, and held his gun in her face. The soldier and Lilly both drew their weapons at him. Lilly's aimed in a place no man wanted it to be and she saw the man falter a little.

Olivia stood still; she knew this man had to be their leader, she saw it in the way they all looked at him in expectation, but she stood resolute and said. "I'm Olivia, this is Jackson…" she signalled to the soldier "…and this is my sister Lilly."

His face softened a little looking at the little girl. "Hi" She said before he returned his gaze to Olivia.

She had no clue why but she felt respect for this man straight away. He reminded her of her Phys-Ed teacher in high school and she could see the stress in the crease lines of his face. "You need to lower your weapon." She calmly said. "I'm no threat to you. We're no threat to you." She rephrased.

Just as he was about to speak a loud rumble from behind him turned his attention away and a man and woman on a bike, along with a green Hyundai pulled up. She could easily disarm him, but she was afraid he would see it as a hostile attack so stayed still. Olivia was relieved to see Maggie step out of the car with Glen, the reunion with the young blonde made her smile at the thought she'd done something right. The man on the bike jumped off and came towards them with crossbow raised.

She glanced quickly at Lilly who was moving forwards and shook her head. "Put your guns down." She said to both bodies behind her and Rick returned his focus to them.

"Who the _Fuck_ is this!?" Came the southern drawl of the crossbow biker who stood just behind their leader.

Olivia tightened her hold on her younger sibling, pushing her behind her a little, trying to shield the girl with her own body. Lilly clung to her side and fisted her hand against her shirt as Maggie came rushing towards them, followed by Glen and Olivia could swear she saw relief on the other woman's face.

"No wait Rick, its ok. It's ok. Put your gun down." She said to the man, stepping in front of him; batting his weapon aside, and turned to Olivia. "Hi." Red rimmed eyes connecting with her own and it felt slightly awkward because neither really knew what to do. It wasn't like they were life-long friends being reunited and Olivia could see the turmoil of the previous night in all the new faces around her. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show." Rick had backed off and the crossbow biker dropped his weapon; the two of them and Glen sharing a knowing look and all three men exchanged relieved hugs. Rick's family had joined him also, all huddled together in relief.

"I wasn't really sure I was going to either." She chuckled softly. Glen came up behind Maggie and laid a hand at her back as she eyed the soldier suspiciously and scanned the vehicle.

"You finally showed up then." He tried to sound chastising in a funny way, but she could see the strain in his face and wondered just exactly what had occurred on the farm. They all seemed – Lost, almost...Broken.

"Where's the little boy?" Maggie asked with confusion.

Olivia looked down and hugged Lilly to her side. "We went to the farm before running into your friends. It happened so quickly…" She sucked in a breath. "…it came from behind a tree. There were so many in the woods. I didn't notice until it was too late." A tear slid down Olivia's cheek, her voice cracking a little and Maggie bit her lip as fresh tears pooled in her eyes.

Glen stepped back and shook his head. "Damn." He whispered to himself more than anyone else and he fell back leaning against one of the abandoned vehicles.

"I had to shoot him." Lilly said, but her tone was different than the almost boastful one in the truck, this was quieter and more filled with sorrow. Olivia could see the mask slipping as the shock of what she had done wore off and before Olivia could say anything Maggie quipped.

"Hey?" She muttered softly and looked in the little girls eyes. The two had met once before, but no names were exchanged during that brief few seconds outside the pharmacy.

"Lilly." The child said with slight hesitancy.

"It's ok." She tucked her under the chin. "You did what you had to. What you thought was right." Olivia silently thanked the other woman for her kindness and watched her younger siblings bottom lip quiver. Then the damn burst and tears flooded her small cheeks and she buried her head into Olivia's side to muffle her cries as the realisation of what she'd done finally sunk in. Olivia just hoped she could help the child through it!

Jackson stepped up behind her. "Hi. I'm Jackson." He held his hand out and Maggie shook it with a courteous nod as did Glen and offered his name, then Rick stepped forward once again and shook the man's hand also introducing himself. The crossbow biker didn't offer his, just gave him a nod and a wary look offering his name quietly. "Daryl."

Maggie squeezed Olivia's shoulder sympathetically and ran her hand over the child's hair tenderly sharing in each other's grief. "Are you ok?" Olivia could finally ask. "The farm was..." She couldn't find any words. "I think it was dumb luck we ran into some of your group."

"It was awful. We were over-run and…"

Rick stepped in and ended the conversation there. "Maggie?" he pulled her to the side and they spoke in hushed tones as a group, his eyes darting every once in a while in their direction. Olivia knew if she didn't do something they would be back to square one, with just the three of them trying to survive this hell on earth - Not that they couldn't survive with just them, but she was more worried about the other 'people' who were out there; the not so friendlies, than she was about their ability to survive because that she could do anyway - But if she could strengthen not just her own little trio's chances, but this groups as well then she'd damn sure as hell make sure she tried everything in her power for it to happen.

She pulled Lilly from her side and ushered her towards the soldier who shared a nod of agreement and – surprisingly – the child took his offered arm of support. Olivia walked over to Rick and the huddled group and they all; aside from Maggie and Glen, turned defensively towards her, readying their weapons in anticipation of assault. Geez, she was only one person.

"I know you're probably worried and think that taking on 3 strangers is a huge risk to you right now." She tried to sound strong and confident, but hoped she wasn't overstepping. Rick looked her over and narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling onto the man and child behind her. "And I don't know what's happened to your group or the losses you've suffered." She continued. "But if you take us in. I promise we'll follow whatever rules you set. We're all weapons trained and myself and Jackson" His name felt weird on her tongue. "Are hand to hand combat trained."

He looked at Maggie; her face trying to reassure him a little and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers in thought. "I don't think…"

She cut him off. "I have plenty of provisions and weapons I'm more than willing to share." Rick tilted his head and for the first time she could see a little willingness flash behind his eyes.

"Rick." Lori stepped forward and her eyes pleaded with his, after flicking to Lilly once again. "She brought us here – safely."

Maggie joined in at his other side with Glen. "We barely escaped the farm with anything." The young man said.

"We can't leave them." Maggie pleaded.

The man stepped forward away from the crowd and his gaze locked with the Old man who had stayed quiet throughout this whole exchange, holding Beth in his arms. He nodded to Rick and the man turned back to Olivia with authority written on his face.

"I'm not promising anything and if you stay you follow my orders understood?" She gave a curt nod and he continued. "Let's take a look at what you have then."

She took him round to the back of the truck, passing Lilly and the soldier; sharing a quick soothing glance and clicked the button for the trunk, Daryl came up on her right, their eyes locking and both quickly exchanged a scowl. She lifted the door and turned her attention back on Rick. She watched the look on his face change from hesitant to firm determination at what she had inside. He looked into her eyes and sighed with resignation.

"You're in."

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_**I hope you liked it and if so can you drop us a review. Thanks!**_

_**I have most of the next chapter on paper and will start writing it tonight to hopefully have it up in the next week or 2.**_

_**Jada X**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A.N. Not too sure on this one been editing it for over 2 weeks now, but I need to get something up and move on. Hopefully this won't be too bad and my writers block is disolving. I hope you enjoy the read.**_

_**Disclaimer: See Ch1**_

* * *

3 Months Later…Roughly?

On the night she'd joined this group, she had no real idea about what had gone on at the Farm and she wondered if her decision to join them had been a wrong one. Rick had made a speech by the fireside; after setting up a makeshift camp when one of the trucks had ran out of fuel, as herself, Lilly and Jackson sat watching the frazzled man declare a dictatorship and appoint himself the 'no questions asked' leader. Olivia had scanned the faces of the group to look for anyone brave enough to rise and object, but their expressions all read the same; down trodden and defeated, her eyes had ended on the man himself with a slightly insolent gaze – his was questioning, eyes ablaze and just begging her to defy the terms they'd settled upon earlier. She didn't look away though, reading him better than she'd read anyone; she kept her face firm and strong and gave him a nod of appeasement. She couldn't really blame the man for his targeting her, it could just have easily been Jackson because they were the newcomers and easier to vilify if necessary. The others were already apart of this Unit, _they_ hadn't earned _their_ place in it. Yet! So with eyes still set upon one another in a silent battle he would lose, and did, when he looked to his wife as a whimper escaped his son's lips, Olivia took the glaring heat and listened to him set the rules.

In the beginning it had felt like they were intruders with the looks of suspicion and question some of the group sent them and that first night Lilly had shuffled a little closer to Olivia, laying her head on to the elder's lap; the events of the day bringing her to the point of exhaustion, and she fell to sleep as did the other youngest member of the group.

In the months that followed the road had been bumpy and filled with danger; especially as the winter months drew nearer, but they had managed to somehow find a place within this group – they were now part of this dysfunctional 'Family' – and had followed the calls of their self-appointed leader. Olivia had noticed how he'd hardened a little more with each passing day and his evident frosty relationship with his wife only added layers of ice to the stone. Olivia had wanted to argue, protest and hit the man for some of the choices and at times unnecessary calls he'd made, but the fragile foundation beneath them would have continued to crumble and only serve to hurt the group, so she fell in line as did Jackson.

Their partnership had also changed and flourished, he'd adopted the role of her guardian or the 'older brother' role and she'd noticed his continual and wary gaze whenever she was left with the other male she spent most of her time with; Daryl. The crossbow wielding hunter appreciated having the helping hand of another person who had a skill set quite like his own, someone who could hunt, track, trap and kill; although he was better at it than her by a long shot, but the last 3 years of college had meant she was quite out of practice. He'd begun teaching her to use the crossbow, but she found the weapon too heavy and awkward and wondered how he carried it around all day without getting bruised? She'd hoped to find a bow and arrow and spend her time mastering it as her personal silent weapon, she searched any sporting goods stores they happened upon, but always lucked out.

She was grateful for Jackson's steady presence and help with Lilly and much to Lori's delight Carl; he was great at keeping them occupied, teaching them how to shoot and make a fire amongst other things and he made them feel grown up; she'd heard it from their mouths enough times it sounded like a broken record. The little boy had shut his dad out for reasons unknown to herself and Jackson and she wasn't one to pry, but she had a sneaky suspicion Lilly had been let in on why.

It had taken time and a lot of self-restraint on her part, but they'd become a part of the main unit – the protectors if you will – of this group, her friendship with Maggie grew and they made quite a team when placed with Jackson and Glenn, often sent on scouting missions because they always managed to make them a success. They'd collected as much as they could in the form of game when she hunted with Daryl and as many canned goods and necessities they could salvage from the pilfered stores along their journeys. Georgia was only so big and they needed to start thinking of a long term plan, but more than anything they'd needed 'a safe place to bunk down' as Daryl had said it; which was proving difficult to find. The Dead seemed to just keep coming, their ammo however was starting to deplete; along with their humanity and it scared her more than she would willingly admit.

Lori had started to show a little; her bony frame unable to hide the growing life inside her. When Olivia had heard the words 'Baby' for the first time she had wanted to slap the woman for being such an idiot. How could you be so stupid as to get pregnant during a time like this? But after she'd really thought about it, she was actually kind of excited at the prospect of a new life in a time of such death.

But Carol was the one she truly felt had welcomed them with open arms, the woman had instantly accepted them and seemed to dote on Lilly, not that Olivia minded because her little sister seemed happier when Carol fussed over her; she filled the role of the Mother Lilly'd never really gotten to have and in part Olivia too, but the tragedy of losing a child and the anguish Olivia saw on the older woman's face every day was heart breaking and she sometimes wondered if Lilly only served to keep open the gaping wound in her heart?

She'd thought of returning to the house she'd been occupying with the group, but that wasn't exactly a safe bet either; especially from the description Maggie'd gave her about the size of the herd that had blown through the Farm and there was still the quiet issue of the group the 2 guys she killed came from and their plans, but she knew more than anything they had to find somewhere before Lori hit her third trimester. Something they could fortify maybe? She didn't think going into labour on the road or in the woods was anyone's idea of fun. 'Fun' she'd thought. 'What was that again?'

Carl and Lilly had also formed a great closeness with Beth; the three of them had effortlessly drifted together and kept close to one another, preferring to sleep in close proximity and forming a sibling like bond; with Beth as the elder they listened to and followed without question. Olivia had been happy to see some of the sadness fade from her younger sisters' face, but when she looked at the three youngest members of their group she saw desolation in the depths of their eyes and she knew she needed to bring up the issues that had been plaguing her mind to their Ricktator.

Thankfully she was on watch with him tonight; the two of them had taken over shift from Daryl and T-Dog. They'd managed to find a little cabin just off the highway, buried in the trees and that fortunately had a small stream and working well that came with it. It was a tight fit, but better than sleeping in the cars. The others were inside, most probably sleeping; although not very deeply, beside the small fireplace and tucked in rooms with closed curtains and wide open doors.

Rick stood looking out into the darkness as she came up behind him; her perimeter check complete, and he sighed deeply, his breath visible in the night air and showing the change of temperature as winter continued to approach.

"All clear." She said stepping beside him.

"It's getting chillier." It was a statement not a question and she wasn't sure whether he was actually aiming it at her or not, but she replied anyway.

"From my guess, it's late autumn. Winter'll be here before we know it." She hoped the underlying message came through in her tone. He sighed again and turned to face her with a question obviously on his lips, but only silence befell them. She looked straight at him, her face neutral and body on alert. She could see the cogs turning in his mind and continued to stand vigilant and patient.

"I appreciate the concern..." he began, but she found herself agitated at his fatherly chastising tone. She'd been extremely obedient these past few months, never questioning and always following orders to the line, but she'd had enough of his tantrum and felt herself almost turning to that dark place inside of her to knock some sense into the man. They couldn't just be constantly on the move, it was impossible to expect that from the group and especially his pregnant wife.

"We need somewhere safe!" She said sternly. "Before your wife has to deliver your baby in the hollow of a tree." His cold eyes changed and the retort he was planning failed to pass his lips, the stifled atmosphere dissipated when instead he chuckled – the first smile to cross his lips in months – and she looked at him confusedly.

"Hollow of a tree?" he asked bemused. "Where the hell d'ya come up with that one?" she smiled genuinely, happy to see some of the tension leave his body; she didn't think it was that funny, but what they hey, it was the first time she'd ever seen him look even remotely relaxed so; Whatever floats your boat!

"I don't know. When I think Baby, it usually equals 'Winnie The Pooh' which I guess kinda equals...hollow tree." She answered. He shook his head and ran his hands over his face and head.

"Where exactly do you suggest we go then huh?" He muffled through his hands.

She was slightly taken aback by his question. She wondered what had warranted him to lax his no nonsense regime and actually ask for advice; and why her? But she didn't have much of an idea of where would be 'safe' either and she scanned her memory banks for any place she'd visited or read about on the internet that would suffice to protect them.

"Are you sure you want advice. I thought it was your way or no way?" She challenged him. His head shot up and the glare he sent her made her bite her tongue at her next remark. "Well cities are definitely out of the question." He shot her a look that said 'Don't state the obvious' and she let out an exasperated sigh. "All I know is that we need to pick a place to call home and start building something worth living for."

"You think I don't know that?" he said sharply. "You think I enjoy running around in the woods all day and worrying about the safety of everyone else cause let me tell you it's no prized picnic." She noticed the slight hint of menace in his voice and she wondered if he was gonna snap right here and now. She could practically see the stretch of the rubber band that held his sanity in place.

"Then why did you put yourself in that position? No one forced you to do so. I was by the fire the night you made the decision. It was your OWN choice." She spat back, her anger rising along with his at his selfishness and whining.

"We wouldn't be able to survive otherwise." He blurted. "They…" he pointed at the cabin. "…need me to tell them what to do because the thought of having to think of what to do terrifies them!" She could see his point in regards to some of the people within the group, but she was adamant that there was a few within it that could shoulder some of the weight he was obviously feeling.

"That's bullshit and you know it. So come on tell me the real reason, I don't know you like they do. I won't judge you for it." She tried to put as much conviction into those words as she could and hoped he could hear it in her voice. He needed an outlet before he exploded and did something or said something he couldn't take back.

The veins in his neck and on his forehead throbbed under his skin and his lips pressed together in a tight line, she could see the struggle he was having at relinquishing his control. She wondered if he thought saying it out loud would render him powerless or if he spoke them aloud it would mean facing whatever's eating at him instead of burying it.

His eyes bore into hers and he opened his mouth to speak, but the snap of a twig drew their attention and both stood waiting and searching the surrounding darkness. They seemed to be standing still for an eternity; her gun raised and ready, but when nothing appeared she heard him take a step closer, invading her personal space and grasped her arm signalling for her to lower her weapon. When she turned her gaze to him his eyes fixed with hers. "I let myself believe that we still lived in a civilised world and it almost got everyone killed, it almost got me killed and I someone I trusted more than anything in this world turned me into a killer myself." The intensity with which he spoke sent a shiver down her spine and she suddenly felt very aware of how his hot breath intermingled with her own. She had no idea where this sudden intensity came from, she blamed the adrenaline rush, but it scared the hell out of her; the look in his eye was dark and predatory. Where the hell had this come from? They'd barely spent any time together and she just usually followed any orders he set without even needing to do anything but give a nod of acknowledgement. There wasn't even anything remotely sexual between them and now he was looking at her like a lion looks at a meal.

"Rick?" She whispered. "It doesn't define you." He didn't seem to hear her, his grip tightening around her arm. When he tugged her flush to his body she felt all his anger, pain and control course through her veins. He bottom lip quivered and her body involuntarily leaned into his as she closed her eyes. In the darkness a devious chuckle echoed in her mind and her eyes flew open. The gap between them was closing and jerked out of his grip, pushing against his chest. "What are you doing?" She wasn't actually sure if she was talking to him or herself?

He paled in the moonlight. "I'm sorry." He apologised and stepped back from her as if she was on fire. "That was...I...?" he stammered.

"No...No, it's ok." She couldn't think of anything else to say, her own embarrassment at almost responding to his advances, was just as disturbing.

Right then a walker – she'd stopped calling them creepers since joining this group and fell into using their terminology - stumbled from the trees she'd never been so happy to see one of those mangled creatures in all her life. She pulled her knife and dispatched of the thing, cleaning her knife on it scraggly clothes. Another stumbled out of the black while she was crouched down; its raspy, gurgled moan making her aware of its presence, and she only heard a few of his footfalls the first Syllable of her name from Rick before she swiftly kicked the legs out from under it. It crashed to the dirt floor and in one quick fire movement she drove the hunting blade into its skull before it got a chance to even attempt to grab at her, the blood splattered up and over her lower arm. She stood and poised herself for another one to appear, her breaths shallow and quiet as she waited.

She felt Rick's presence as he moved behind her, gun raised and pointed at the trees before them. "I think that's it. For now anyway." She stated. The noise of the nightlife had returned and she took that as a good sign there wasn't any more of them in the vicinity. That slight rage had crept into her body and threatened to take over and she had to stop herself from physically jumping the man next to her to relieve some of her frustration. He was married and expecting a child soon for Christ's sake.

"Our best bet is to head to the coast." She offered.

"What?" he asked looking at her strangely.

"You asked me where we should go." She said as distraction. "I was on my way to see if my Aunt and Uncle were still alive before I joined you guys. They live in Eagle rock, Virginia." She was unsure if he wanted to hear her idea when he shook his head so she stopped, lifting the legs of the first walker and began dragging it away from the cabin.

"What and that's it?" he said coming to aid her and grabbing the legs as she clutched the one remaining arm of the other one.

"No. If they were there we were gonna head to the nearest dock and sail south to The Keys. Ever heard of Big Key Pine?" She exhaled as they lifted. "It has everything we could possibly need to survive. Not highly populated so it would be easy to clean up and start fresh."

He seemed to be looking at her as if she was crazy. She got that a lot, but she knew what she was talking about. Big Key Pine was only a small island. Her Grandfather might have been a kook but he'd had a strategic exit plan for years being the 'Doomsday' man he was. She chuckled and Rick huffed as he threw the remaining walker back into the darkness of the woods.

"And this was your plan?" he asked incredulously.

All the awkwardness from earlier dissipated and she stood with her hand on her hip and puffed out an annoyed breath. "My Grandfather had had this plan for years. Always said an apocalypse was coming and made sure his Granddaughters were well prepared for it." She walked back to her truck and leant against the cool exterior. "He practically drummed his action plan into us." She hadn't really spoken or told anyone anything about her family, herself or Lilly; not even Maggie, yet here she was spilling everything to this man.

"It's a good plan." She looked up at him and found him staring off into the distance as if he could see what she was talking about and he caught her gaze in his again. That uncomfortable tension falling over them once more and she pushed off of the vehicle and started walking away.

"I'm gonna check the perimeter again." And with that she left him standing there.

She walked around the side of the cabin and a myriad of thoughts ran chaotically through her mind. The weird situation she just experienced made her feel 10 kinds of crappy that she almost let something happen with Rick; she couldn't place where that sudden rush of desire between them came from. It wasn't like they'd been spending ample amounts of time together; in fact this was probably the first time they'd actually been on watch with each other. She found a comfortable spot around the back of the cabin, stuffed her thoughts into a box for later examination and didn't return to his side until she heard the next shift change come out.

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_**A.N.2. Please note this will not turn into a Rick/OC story, I was just trying to show his state of mind at this point in time and my characters emotional state after the tragedy in the chapter before; even with the jump. I'll try to explore and expand on her psyche, possibly in the next chapter. Not my best piece of writing, but I'm trying to get over my writers block at the moment.**_

_**Please drop a review if you can, it will be very appreciated.**_

_**Jada X**_


	16. Chapter 16

**_Disclaimer: See Chapter 1_**

**_A.N. Not my best work, but I lost all my stories and research that I'd done for this and I had to try and do it from memory. Any mistakes are my own becaue I rushed the last part as I wanted to get something up before I break up for Half Term Holidays. _****_Pop a Review in if you can and I hope it's still of a good standard?_**

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Jackson woke to the feeling of something like prodding fingers in his side and giggling from not too far from his ear. He stirred and listened closely as he heard the quick scurried footsteps of the retreating duo. He sat up and rubbed his thumb and forefinger against his eyes to wake himself up; they felt a little heavy and kind of sticky. He hoped he wasn't getting an eye infection.

He scanned the small room and noticed the neat packs of the rooms occupants stood ready by the door. Beth and Lilly had slept in the big bed with Carl; who'd snuck in at some point last night, and he, Olivia and Carol had shared the floor between their shifts on watch.

"Hey." He heard Carol say as she walked in the small room. "You're up finally." She stopped mid step and a smile crept across her face.

"What?" he asked a little self-consciously.

"You look really beautiful in the morning." She replied, stifling a chuckle and picking up two of the packs.

He bolted upright making her jump and shot her a look of apology. He ran to the small bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror; he was going to kill those kids when he got his hands on them, he couldn't believe what they had done. Purple and green eye shadow was caked on his eyelids with heavy eyeliner and mascara; which was now smudged up along his forehead, his cheeks had bright pink blush in circles and his lips were an orange glossy shade of some kind. How the hell had he not felt them putting it on?

He darted out of the small bedroom and searched the living area for the little devil's spawn. Lori, Beth and Maggie were sat at the small wooden table eating some scrambled eggs and they all stared at him with laughter written all over their faces. Beth's fork hung in mid-air and she was the first to burst, she dropped her fork and clasped her hand over her mouth as the others shared a knowing smile.

"Where are they?" He asked like nothing was wrong. The three woman sat still and tried; unsuccessfully, to stop grinning. Lori nudged her head in the direction of the front door, he 'tipped his invisible hat' to her and stepped outside.

He looked out into the small clearing where their cars were parked side by side. Glenn and T-Dog were loading them up as Carol was walking back towards the cabin, her eyes giving away the little perpetrators positions.

"Don' think I can't see ya's." He said. Both men looked at him in confusion before breaking into hysterics.

The two children giggled from their hiding position behind the well. He broke off into a jog and they ran towards the cars as he gave chase. Their laughter was a refreshing sound in his ears and they seemed full of energy; he wondered if they'd found some secret candy stash somewhere and had some kind of sugar fix this morning. They ran in between the cars and round the well as he chased them, they separated and Jackson saw his chance. He grabbed Carl and the boy yelped in surprise at being caught, Jackson tugged him and Carl lost his footing, falling to the ground. jackson pinned him beneath his legs. Carl squirmed as he begun to tickle him, his raucous laughter sounded more like a squeal and Jackson couldn't help, but laugh a loud.

"That's what ya get for draw'n on ma face."

"It wasn't my idea." The boy said between laughs.

He felt a cold, wet sensation cascade down his back, his body involuntarily spasmed and he hissed in a breath, but the assault didn't stop there. Lilly picked up a handful of the crispy brown leaves and stuffed them down the neck of his shirt. His head whipped round and she stood smiling smugly with her arms crossed and a raised eyebrow. His temporary lapse in concentration gave Carl the window of escape he needed and his little body was out from beneath Jackson's before he had time to respond.

Lilly took a few steps back; just out of his reach, he stood and the biggest grin he'd ever seen filled her face and Jackson couldn't have asked for a more beautiful sight. These last few months had been hard on all of them, but more so she in dealing with the guilt of killing Josh and he wondered if the little girl would ever get a sparkle back in her eye. The dead look that haunted her and the nightmares in those first few weeks had been hard for him to bear. He didn't know how Olivia managed to remain so calm about it?

She bolted like deer in headlights and he followed close on her tail. She rounded the truck and Jackson could only watch as she crashed into Rick, the man's face taut with tension and stress. She stepped back; the smile disappearing from her face and her eyes locked with their groups Leader. The two stood stock still staring at one another as Carl came round from the front of the cars, his face changing instantly at the sight of his Father. Jackson didn't know what had happened between Parent and Child, but it had to have been something dramatically devastating for them both.

Jackson edged closer slowly and spoke calmly. "Sorry about the noise Rick. They were just fooling around." The other man didn't seem to acknowledge him in any way.

Carl had also crept closer and stood just to the side of his Father curiously watching the silent exchange before them. He shared a confused look with Jackson, both of them shrugging, but their attention was drawn back to the two statuesque figures when Rick did something that just heightened their confusion further. He reached forward and cupped her face, gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek with the softest and most tender expression Jackson had ever seen from the man. "I wish Sophia could have gotten meet you. You would'av been a good influence on her."

Jackson watched Carl's face darken and his small fists clenched at his sides. The older reached out and squeezed his shoulder in support; knowing the boy and Sophia were best friends, but Carl jerked away and grabbed Lilly's hand in his own and sending his Father a glare.

"I wish I had too." She said before breaking their connection.

Carl tugged on her arm and she moved with him. "Go to your mother." Rick said to his boy, but the child just snarled up at him and stormed off with Lilly in tow. A deep sigh escaped his lips and Jackson spoke as he leant against the side of the truck.

"Give it time. I'm sure he'll come around." Rick's head turned sharply in his direction as if just realising Jackson was standing there and he watched as the man's brow furrowed in puzzlement before his lip curled up slightly in the corner. "Yeah, I know. Ain't I just so gorgeous?"

Rick chuckled lightly. "Here." He said handing Jackson a cloth from his pocket. "Hopefully there's a little hot water left over from breakfast."

The soldier in him almost said 'Yes Sir' and felt like saluting whenever this man spoke; he was after all their leader, but he didn't and fisted the cloth in his hand. "Thanks." Rick turned from him; their conversation terminated, and they started for the cabin.

As they approached Lori and Carol came out onto the porch chatting and Rick stopped and leant against the car, watching his wife. The children came out after them carrying the last of their bags and they laid them at the feet of the woman. Jackson watched the man's eyes harden once again, the tension returning to his shoulders when Lori rubbed her slightly swollen stomach.

"What time we leaving?" He asked Rick trying to take the man's mind off of whatever was swirling around in his brain.

"Huh?" He said turning to him.

"I's just wondered if I have time to…" The crunching of feet against the leaves stopped him in mid-sentence and both men turned to the source of the noise, drawing their weapons ready.

The sound of laughter; specifically Daryl's, took the tense feeling from their bodies as they saw to two figures emerge from between the trees. Olivia carried a bird of some kind; it looked like a…Duck? Where the hell'd she get that? And Daryl had few squirrels. The two were oblivious to Rick and Jackson as they chatted animatedly. Jackson watched the smile in Olivia's eyes and felt an intense jealously boil in his veins, he had no right to do so in any capacity, but he couldn't help it where Daryl Dixon was concerned. He was too old for Olivia, but they seemed to fall into an easy and comfortable place with one another and He didn't like it!

"Hey." He called to them and both turned in their direction.

Jackson watched the smile fall from her lips and Daryl's change in body language before they made their way over. Her shoulders were rigid with tension and he eyes were darting nervously at their leader, in fact she looked a lot like Rick at that moment and he wondered what had happened for her to respond like that.

"What's up?" Daryl asked him with a wry smile playing in his eyes.

"Yeah, you going for a new look in the Post-Apocalyptic world?" Olivia chimed in. Jackson chuckled but Rick stood stoic beside him, his eyes looking anywhere but at Olivia and something just didn't sit right with. He brushed it off though and would ask her about it later.

"What don't I look pretty?" he feigned hurt. "We're getting ready to move out, right Rick?" He turned to the man in question.

"Yeah." He replied eyeing Daryl. "How long's that gonna take?" he asked pointing at the carcasses of their kills.

"20 minutes if we both do it." Olivia sighed next to him, Jackson the only one to see it.

"Let's get a move on then." She said.

"We leave in 30." Rick stated.

Jackson watched the hunting duo walk towards the cabin; a strange look passed between Olivia and the leader of their group, it looked quite like guilt, but he couldn't be certain. Rick's eyes never left Olivia and a glazed look came over them. Jackson watched as she punched Daryl in the arm and their easy laughter once again put them in that comfortable place they seemed to find before he followed them and left Rick staring into space.

The man's mind was unravelling day by day and Jackson wondered if the stress of keeping them all safe was finally taking its toll. Whatever had just happened, whatever was going on, he needed to find out about it before it exploded in their faces, but first he needed to get this goop off his face.

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Olivia had spent the better part of the morning hunting with Daryl and she loved every minute of it. He didn't make her feel inadequate or try to protect her like she was some fragile little women or look at her like she was anything but herself. She'd started to regain her 'hunting feet' as Daryl put it and had gotten less sloppy with her technique. She knew she was rusty and out of practice, but she soon found her footing again.

When she spotted the duck at the edge of a pond she was ecstatic and almost called out to Daryl, but he was moving away from it and she would scare it off if she did. It was all alone lazing on the bank in the morning sun, the vibrant green markings made it glow like an emerald and she found herself licking her lips at the thought of eating it. It would make a nice change from squirrel. She'd need to be quick and she wished she had Daryl's crossbow to hand right now. But she'd have to settle for her bare hands and a knife.

She felt like a lioness stalking an antelope, her movement stealthy and calm. She almost chuckled at the discovery channel voice man who came into her head as she approached the unsuspecting bird, using the tall foliage as a shield to keep her out of sight. She pounced and landed a top the animal, a cry escaping its beak before she grasped it neck and twisted, the snap ending its fear. She enjoyed it immensely and let her inner-self have its fun.

Daryl had come rushing at the sound and stared down at her through the sight of his crossbow, his breaths deep and a bloodied squirrel at his belt.

"Damn girl." He said dropping the bow and raising his eyebrows.

"I got us dinner." She smiled at him triumphantly.

Now here she was covered in blood and feathers with her hunting companion who kept stealing glances at her and she knew wanted to ask her something.

"What?" she finally demanded after the tenth flick of his eyes.

"Nut'tin." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"You obviously wanna ask something. So ask." She continued to cut at the bird.

"Not my place." Came his cryptic response.

God she hated when he did this. She felt like kicking him in the crutch for being who he was sometimes.

"Fine, but stop looking at me like that then."

"I weren' looking at ya like nut'tin."

"Really?" she stood then. Tossing her knife and the bird in the bucket. "Cause it sure looked like ya was."

He smiled at her again and she smiled back. She knew they sounded like kids and she was acting like a child so she sat back down to task. She loved her relationship with this man, he was like the older brother she never wanted and she the younger sister he never wanted.

"Your boy is super jealous ya know."

"He's just looking out for me. He don't mean no harm."

"Maybe you should tell that to Rick. Cause that is a situation I can see coming to blows."

"What. There's nothing going on with me an' Rick!" she said hastily.

"Whoa there. I didn't say anythin' like that."

"Good." She focused her gaze on the bird and rinsed the meat in the clean water before she placed the pieces of meat in the cooler box they had. "Was it that obvious?" she asked him quietly.

"Whatever it is. It was pretty obvious." He replied.

"We had a bit of a disagreement last night on watch and things got a little…heated."

"Like I said. Not my place."

"Maybe not, but you are important in this group Daryl. You could just as easily have led us."

She looked at the top of his head. "You'd make a great leader!" she said with conviction.

He looked at her sheepishly, the compliment sending a red rush to his cheeks before he dipped his head and they continued in companionable silence for a few more minutes before he did something so un-Daryl like she almost choked.

"Thanks." He placed the squirrels in the plastic zip-lock bags they'd scrounged from a grocery store and put them in with the duck, sealing the lid of the box. "Let's go clean up before we make a move."

"Ok." She replied and stood.

He smiled at her, something he rarely did when they were with the group and she wondered why he felt he couldn't relax around them like he did her. The only other person he seemed ok around was Carol, but then again the woman just had a way of making you feel so at ease she wasn't surprised. She'd seen his scars, knew he didn't like to talk about them, but being on the edge all the time wasn't good for anyone's sanity. Look at the state Rick had gotten into in such a short space of time. Everyone had their demons, it was just most of them were better at hiding them than others.

When they'd finished cleaning the blood from their hands as best they could, she found Lilly and Carl sitting at the kitchen table of the cabin playing cards and knew she had to have a word about what had happened earlier with Jackson. Not that she wanted to. Kids needed a little escape from the everyday drudgery that was their lives.

"Guys. Come over here a minute." She gestured for them to follow her out of the cabin. The men were talking in a small group by the cars, looking at maps and trying to figure out a place for them to go when she sat on the cabin's small porch bench. The children looked at her in apprehension, their little faces set in a panic and wonder at her. "Sit." They both complied. Carl kept stealing glances at his mother and Carol who were taking as they filled the groups bottles by the well with Beth. Maggie and Glen were somewhere Olivia knew needed no disturbance; she didn't know what those two were on or how they kept it up, but she wondered if they did it out of fear most of the time. She supposed with the current life span figures it wasn't a bad idea.

"We're sorry Olivia." Lilly said tentatively, drawing out if her thoughts.

"Yeah. We're really sorry." Carl followed. The two wore matching expressions, although Lilly's was slightly more fearful, but Carl didn't know Olivia like she did.

"You know Jackson is a good guy. What you did today was funny, I will admit." Both of their faces broke out into a grin. "But…" and fell quickly. "… there's a time and a place for all those tricks and pranks you pull on him and now's not that time."

"We found that make-up in one of the drawers when we were exploring." Carl babbled. "We didn't do it to be mean." He said looking at Lilly. The two of them nodded at each other and then at Olivia.

"Yeah Livvy. Jackson is super fun and always laughs at our pranks. We don't get to have much fun anymore."

Olivia's heart tightened a little at her sister's last sentence, but she couldn't believe the words that just came out of her sister's mouth. Just a few months ago she was willing to kill this man for just looking at them and didn't trust him in any capacity. Olivia'd been stunned that day when Josh…at their truce, but to actually hear the words 'Super Fun' come from her sister was dumbfounding.

"You've changed your tune." She said playfully.

"What do you mean?" Carl piped in.

Lilly looked away sheepishly, looking her age for the first time in months when a blush crept into her cheeks. "I…um…didn't like Jackson to begin with. He looked at Oli…us kinda funny and I thought he was bad." She answered.

Carl seemed to ponder what she'd said and his brow furrowed slightly. "He doesn't seem bad at all. Actually…" He started and turned to Lilly. "…He seems like he wants to protect _you_ more than anyone." She turned a shade darker and sunk back against the bench.

"Yeah, well I had Olivia to protect me. I didn't need him."

"Didn't?" Olivia questioned.

"I mean…Don't need him. At all!" Lilly barked.

"But his Super-Fun." Carl teased her.

"You better stop it Carl Grimes or I will come over there and show you I don't need no one to protect me." The boy stood and sarcastically acted scared.

"Oh. I'm so scared."

"That's it." Lilly said jumping up and the two set off chasing one another. Olivia couldn't help but smile at them. It was almost as if the ugliness of this new world; thankfully, couldn't keep its grasp on them, but then as she looked around at the small bubble they seemed to have found here, she knew this place gave you a sense of peace and calm. It dangerously let a sense of security make you feel…Safe.

Olivia heard footsteps and felt eyes on her then, she looked up to see Rick had stopped just outside the doorway. When their gazes flickered over one another she could see he wanted to talk to her and all she wanted to do was avoid it, but she'd hear him out. "We're leaving in 10." She stood and he took a step closer. "Olivia, I…" he begun.

"Stop." She cut in, her voice low. "Whatever happened. Actually nothing happened. We'll put it down to an adrenaline rush and leave at that ok?" The words stumbled from her mouth and she looked anywhere but at him. He sighed and moved a little closer. She involuntarily stepped back and raised her eyes to him, feeling the fire start to burn in her stomach. Why couldn't he just let it go and they could go back to normal? The look in his eyes was guarded and stern, reminding her a little of Daryl when his defences were up. She knew she needed to keep calm, they already both radiated tension and all they needed was the two of them to start arguing in front of all the eyes that were trying not to watch, but couldn't hide it.

"I want to explain myself." He said through gritted teeth.

"There's nothing to explain." She said defiantly. "Let's just sweep it under the rug and forget about it?" She stood straight then and stared him down. The silence between them was palpable and she felt the rigidity of her own body as if it was getting ready to be attacked. "What's the plan?" she said to change the subject and stem the flow of tension building between them. He gave her a 'This is not over' look, but she'd rather wait till they were a little less the focus of attention before she'd give him a chance to get whatever he thought was bothering him off his chest.

"We're heading to a small town about 3 miles west. We're hoping to find a few more supplies to make it through the coming winter." He was back to being the 'All Business' and 'No Questioning Leader' and she was happy for it. That she could work with, but she knew that sooner or later she'd have to hear him out.

"I'll go get Daryl and we're set." She stepped around him and avoided any contact. She supposed if he wanted to talk, she could ask questions that needed answering and it would be better if they were alone. But that frightened her more than any Walkers.

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_**Hope you enjoyed it.**_

_**Jada**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Disclaimer: see chapter 1 **_

_**Sorry for the long wait guys. Been a really hard chapter to write as it gets very dark towards the end and the content is quite difficult on an emotional scale, but I'm really trying to capture the transition of change for the children in this harsh world. I got this idea based on Carl's dangerous path into madness and complete lack of feeling and where it could have really started to grip his sanity.**_

_**Thanks to all my followers, reviews and favourites. Hope you enjoy and drop a review for this chapter to let me know what you think.**_

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The ride to the next town only took a small amount of time and Lilly had watched the littered streets, deserted of all life except a few of the living dead; although technically not living in any form, and she wondered if there was any part of the person they were before left inside, if it was like being in one of those dreams where you're trapped inside yourself and you can see what you doing, but can't stop yourself from doing the horrible things you see. Her mind conjured the image of her dead Grandmother and the moment Olivia had killed the woman, it made her wonder if the creepers could experience any kind of feelings at all like hate or rage or happiness or... relief? She felt like a stupid child wanting to believe in the fairy tales you were told as kids, but she thought they were fair questions, if they felt hunger why not any other feelings?

Their convoy had found a small brick and gated community of houses just behind the main part of town that had been just as deserted as the rest. The grown-ups had scoured the 10 or so surrounding homes and cleared out the few creepers that had been in the houses, securing the perimeter before moving on to the town. Daryl had been sent in place of Jackson to do the initial sweep for supplies due to his: What Hershel called 'A delayed allergic reaction' to the make-up that she and Carl had put on his face and thankfully the old man had something to treat it with. She looked at the puffy red face of the man she'd come to respect; his eyes were swollen into tiny slits, his cheeks had gone round like a hamsters and his lips had turned a funny shade of plum and she couldn't hide the smile on her face. In fact she felt it and she turned away from him to look at the boy who'd been her co-conspirator. His face though was wrought with tension and directed at his father, whose attention was on the dwindling stock pile of food, water and weapons they'd compiled over the last few weeks, he was taking inventory with the old man and Carl was staring daggers at him. The boys piercing gaze held such an intense anger that frightened her just a little and she feared she was losing her friend a little more each day to his rage and bitterness. It made her hate the world they found themselves in more and more.

"You know, you need to stop that Carl."

"Huh?" His head turned in her direction, his focus now totally on her and the anger gone from his features. "Stop what?" he asked with a genuine look of confusion.

"Your Dad's doing the best he can."

"Yeah... Well... He could do better." He spat and stormed off towards his mother and Carol who were chatting quietly by the cars looking tired, she wanted to go after him and slap him across his head for being such a baby about it. She wasn't rude or horrible to him and he acted like she'd killed his dog or something, but Lori's small round belly poking against her shirt stopped her and Lilly couldn't help but feel the bubble of excitement in her stomach at the thought of a baby. It made her smile inside and out.

She wondered if Olivia would ever have a baby and she could be an Aunty. Maybe she'd have one with Jackson? Lilly could see the looks he always gave her and sometimes she could see it on her sister's face too, only she was a lot better at hiding it.

She felt a hand stroke her head and turned her face up to meet the gaze of Beth. She wrapped her hands around the blonde girl's tiny waist and rested her head on her chest.

"You ok?" She asked her with a squeeze.

"Just a little worried is all." She pulled back to look into the other girls eyes.

"They'll be back before we know it and hopefully with more stuff." Beth tried to reassure her. Lilly loved that the older girl always thought positively. Her big sister was out there too and Lilly thought that the shared a common worry which made her feel like she and Beth had a special connection.

"This seems like a nice place huh? Got metal gates and brick walls that look safe, are we gonna stay here for a while?" She asked the older girl a little sheepishly.

"I'm not sure. You know _we_ only always find out at the last minute."

"Or when Carl's eve's dropping." They both chuckled at her statement. "Why's he so mad at Rick all the time. He seems like a nice enough man... maybe a little coukou at times, but he's our leader right and we follow what he says?" She sighed when she watched Carl kick at the ground before staring at his father once again with anger.

"I don't know sweetie. Boys just seem to naturally go through a phase of not liking their daddy. It's like a rite of passage or something. Jimmy used to fight with his dad all the time." Lilly could see the tears that threatened to spill out of her friends eyes at the mention of Jimmy and she hugged her once again. "With the situation we're in, it's a lot harder for Carl to vent his anger. There's no video-games or places to go where you can just be alone. We're all in each other's space all the time so just give him a little space ok." She said kissing her head, her voice laced with sadness.

"Maggie'll be fine. They'll be back soon and I need to use the bathroom." She told her, but she actually had other ideas she knew Beth wouldn't want in on.

She made her way over to Carl and plunked herself next to him letting out a sigh through her nose.

"What do you want?" he said gruffly, but he didn't move away from her.

"Wanna go have some fun?" she said with a giggle. He gave her a quizzical look and she smiled deviously at him.

"What kinda fun?" he said with mischief in his eyes.

"They said the area's secure right. So let's go exploring." She said with excitement.

"Shall we ask Beth?" he said with a smile.

"She'll probably say no and then we won't be able to go cause she'll tell." She said with barely hidden annoyance. She knew about Carl's huge crush on the older girl but he drove her crazy all the time with his stupid love-struck looks.

Beth was great and Lilly felt like she had another sister most of the time, but sometimes she felt like the group kinda sheltered her like a fragile piece of glass that was ready to crack at any minute and it really pissed her off because she knew Beth was strong in her own way. She always knew just what to say to herself and Carl to make them feel better and was technically an adult cause she was 18, but they always treated her like she was some frightened kid – none of them were frightened kids, she and Carl knew how to shoot. Beth had great idea's that she never shared with the group cause she thought they wouldn't listen to her or think they were stupid and she told the best stories of how life was on the Farm, before all this happened.

Lilly wasn't unaccustomed to a farm. She used to go the Baker farm all the time a ride their horses or drive the plough with Mr Baker or plant seeds with Ms Baker and her son Thomas. She wondered about Thomas. He'd been away when this had happened; he'd gone to visit his Dad and his other folks in California. Did he even know that his mom and grandparents were dead? 'Probably not' she thought. But when Beth told them a story, Lilly felt that she was right there with her, she was so good at describing and setting the scene that you almost could taste the air there.

"Ok, but what are we looking for?" Carl said breaking her out of her reverie.

She had to search her brain for what exactly it is they were looking for and she smiled when it popped in her head. "Treasures."

Carl shot her a look of annoyance, "We're not 5 Lilly. What are we gonna do with a bunch of jewellery?"

"I meant candy you idiot." She said slapping his arm. "They never pick up candy. They always just pick up food and I would kill for some sugar right now." When she really thought about what she said, she sounded stupid even to herself. Food was essential for their survival and not to be considered below candy, but they were kids and although they needed to keep strong, candy wouldn't hurt a little bit for their energy.

"Sorry." He said apologetically.

"Hey." Jackson's voice stopped them as they started to move towards the first house. "Where you goin'?"

"Bathroom." She said quickly.

"Wait and I'll come with."

"No." Carl piped in a little too quickly.

Lilly could see Jackson begin to ponder the two of them and she knew he would smell something was up if she didn't do something quickly. "What are you two up to?" He asked with scepticism.

"I've got my gun and Carl's got his. We'll be fine." She said as casually as she could. "Why would you wanna watch 2 kids going to the bathroom? Are you a _pervert_?" The man's jaw dropped and he shook his head violently. "Besides you can't see much anyway." She said with a giggle.

Carl stifled a laugh. "Yeah." He opted in. "I think you should go see Hershel. Your neck looks a little red now."

"Ah shit." He cursed and pawed at his neck. "Stay together and stay safe." He said and turned around.

"Wow. He fell for it." Carl turned to her.

"Let's go." she said and they begun to walk towards the house. "You know... we are still kids Carl." She stated.

"I know." He replied quietly.

"We can't ever get it back."

"What?"

"Our childhood." She iterated. He remained quiet and stoic. "But we can catch moments like this and capture a little bit of it still." They went into the house with the afternoon sun beaming in through the bay windows and made their way to the kitchen. "We gotta at least try or what's the point in tryin'a live!"

"Yeah I suppose." He said with little enthusiasm.

They began searching the cabinets and drawers for their targeted items quietly. "Jackpot." She whispered and he jogged over to the drawer she'd been rummaging in.

"Awesome." He said with a sparkle in his eye. It was filled with different candy treats, from twinkies to a sugary consortium of jellies and nougat bars. "Let's eat it now." She slapped his hand away with a stern look. "What?"

"Find a bag or something. We can eat 1 piece now and go looking for more."

"You'll eat it when I'm gone." He accused.

"No I wouldn't!" she said in defence.

"Then you go get a bag to put it in."

She rolled her eyes and closed the drawer. "Let's go together then. I'm thinking one of those material bags my Grandma used to use for groceries. If we can't find one of those, a pillow case will do."

They begun searching for the perfect carrier to hide their treats in and when they couldn't find the kind they wanted they both made their way upstairs tiptoeing quietly. The first room they came upon had been a grown-ups room, it was too neat and its decoration was quite nice. One apple red wall stood out as the main feature, the other three were a silvery grey with glitter flecks all through it. The furniture was a cherry wood colour and it was sad that the room was so messy because Lilly thought it would have been like one of those rooms in a magazine had it not been left in a hurry or ransacked for god only knows what.

Carl grabbed the pillow from the bed and tore the material from it in one swoop. "Here. This should do." He said.

"Yeah. Let's go." She turned and they made their way back towards the stairs. The dangling string caught her attention her eyes followed the creamy cord up and into the rectangular wooden door of the attic. Her stomach clenched and threatened to expel its contents as thoughts of Jake and his lifeless body breached her mind. The sound of the bullet as it exploded from her small gun and into his head burned the backs of her eyelids as she sucked in a breath and let the guilt roll over her. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes and her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen as she realised she was holding her breath until Carls small grip in her shoulder brought her back to the present. She sucked in a gulp of air and grabbed onto the wooden railing of the hallway.

"You okay?" Carl asked, looking at her with fear.

She didn't speak, couldn't speak, but she shook her head and regained her composure. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"My dad says if a female says their fine, it's usually not true and you're in some kinda trouble." He was watching her closely and had stepped into her personal space, concern written all over his face.

"I just felt a little faint is all." She countered and stepped back a little.

"Your face has gone really pale. Shall we go eat the candy?" He nodded. "You might need some sugar?"

"Sure." She replied nodding also and he begun to walk towards the stairs. "But after..." he stopped and turned to her. "Let's explore the attic. You can find all kinds of stuff up there."

"Okay, cool." And they went downstairs to indulge.

* * *

Olivia walked through the store with careful footfalls. The smashed glass of medicine bottles and god knows what else made it hard to stay totally quiet and she wondered who'd decided that the need to be so destructive was necessary in the current state of things. They'd left the windows pretty much in tact; albeit the front door one, but decided that smashing everything that wasn't of use to them was acceptable. She wasn't naïve to think that people were all considerate and think about others that might come along later or that they were ever going to be the same if things got back to being in any state of normal, but she still hoped that for the sake of the kids, they could find a place they could build to offer a little of it. Hell every monster movie she'd seen she thought that people should just go out and shoot every one of them in the head and it would be done, but in reality she didn't have the billions of bullets needed to rid the world of the immediate danger and then she'd be left with the fact that no one could ever have a real death anymore because you'd just come back and the cycle would start again. It was a little demotivating. She hated when her brain thought too much about these things so she browsed the aisles like she was on a Saturday morning shop - even with the same level of hostility because it could be just as manic buying groceries and goods when the world was a normal place let alone when there's ravenous ex-human beings trying to gnaw at your limbs.

This shop was much bigger than the small pharmacy back in Maggie's town and seemed more like a mini-market, but the higher shelves, dark corners and sharp turns made it harder to spot if anything or one was inside with her and then she spotted it. It stood at the back of the room, a shell of what used to be a tall man with its rotting and blood caked flesh swaying as it almost seemed to be looking at the baby products in the maternity section. She approached with stealth, every step was feather light as she moved and it let out a small moan just before she plunged her knife into the back of its neck, up into the brain. It slumped to the floor and she quickly turned to see if any others had decided to join the party. She was met with silence and a smile spread across her face at the items she'd been searching for, she was happy to say she couldn't believe her luck at the score she'd just found. Seems like the people before her had left this little corner untouched, although she didn't blame them cause it wasn't like baby stuff and hygiene were high on their list. From what she could tell they'd raped the medicine cabinets and a few generic items on the shelves and fled.

"Excellent." She whispered to herself and pulled her pack from her back to begin stocking up on said items.

She heard the crunch of glass and swung round with gun ready. "Whoa. Hold up, it's just me." Daryl uttered in his gravelly tone, coming round the corner with his crossbow held up in defence. She rolled her eyes and started loading her bag with goods. "What is it with you and that stuff?" He asked with a snort.

"We might be in an apocalypse, but having good dental hygiene is still important." She stated and continued stuffing toothpaste and mouth wash into her pack. "What are you doing here anyway?" She asked sceptically. "I told you I could handle this place on my own." He looked at her with a sheepish grin.

"Erm… Maggie and Glenn are a little… erm, busy." He mumbled.

"Are you serious? We're on a supply run." She exclaimed with an exasperated sigh. "Did you check the station?" She asked, pulled a wheelie basket over from the side and begun throwing soap and woman's essentials into it before moving along.

"I came to get you first. Need 2 of us." He replied.

It irked her some that this town hadn't been picked clean with the amount of supplies they'd be taking back. Hell if she could she could she'd go get another one of their vehicles and load it up as well. There wasn't much left in the way of medical supplies, but she managed to find a few aspirin bottles, bandages and vitamins – for the kids – in a lovely orange flavour as well as some prenatal ones for Lori. "Do you think the 2 horn-dogs are finished?" She quizzed knowing it made him a little uncomfortable and watched out of the corner of her eye as he squirmed.

"Let's jus' check it first. They'll fin' us when they're done." His southern drawl always came to the forefront when he wanted to avoid a question and she had to stifle a giggle at the look of disgust written across his face.

"Wait a sec." she called as they started for the exit. "One thing I forgot." She went behind the counter and grabbed all the condoms on the shelf throwing them in the basket. Daryl's eyes widened in shock. "What." She asked innocently. "If everyone's gonna be at it all the time, these are gonna come in handy." She blew out a puff of air. "We don't need any more unexpected arrivals now do we?" She couldn't keep the sarcasm from seeping into her tone and she shot him a look that said 'I dare you to argue I'm wrong' but he nodded in agreement and they left the store.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky and beat at the pavement, the waves of heat easy to spot as she looked down the street. She pulled a pair of shades from her pocket and put them on.

"Seriously?" she heard him mutter.

"Hey don't get jealous now or I won't give you yours." She pulled another from her other pocket and dangled them in front of him. He snatched them and she could swear she heard a super quiet 'thank you' from him.

"Let's get this stuff in the truck."

* * *

Lilly pulled at the cord and the attic door creaked open and landed with a thud causing both of them to jump back in shock. A small dust cloud seeped out of the darkness and onto the upper hallway and they covered their mouths quickly to stop from inhaling them.

"Doesn't look like anyone's been up here for a while?" She said through her sleeve. She waved at the dust particles to get them to clear and then pulled her flashlight from her waistband and flicked it on before starting up the wooden rungs.

"Lilly." Carl called with a cautious tone. "Maybe we should get an adult or something?"

"Don't be such a sissy." She mocked.

His pout told her she'd just won that argument and they both got up into the attic coughing as the last of the dust cleared. "Wow." He said from behind her. "Someone must have been staying here."

"Yeah, but god it stinks up here." She covered her nose and choked back the vomit that threatened her once again.

"Something dead is up here."

They both walked slowly towards the camping beds that had been set up at one end of the room. There were pools of dried blood on the wooden boards beneath and on the blankets, a small crib sat just off to the right of them. Its pink frilly triangular canopy didn't dictate if it was a girl or boy that had occupied it, but it sent a feeling of dread down to her stomach when the material begun to move.

"Carl." She whispered. Her breath hitching and she grabbed his arm with a gulp. They edged closer and craned their necks to look into the crib both gasping at the sight before them. A tiny groan escaped the reanimated baby, its grey skin and dead eyes centred on them as its few black, rotting teeth chomped furiously along with its reaching arms.

Lilly wanted nothing more than to pick up the dead child and cradle her, but instead tears fell from her eyes. She looked at Carl and he too had tracks along his cheeks. An overwhelming sensation of panic filled her at the thought of what they needed to do. Yet she wondered where the parents were, they clearly weren't up here with the baby. She turned around in the attic space and saw the trail of blood that lead to the doorway and scenario after scenario flew through her mind. Had they left the baby up here to die? Did one of them turn and attack the other? She grasped the edge of the crib and looked over the wriggling form of the walker baby, it had no bite marks or scratches or blood over it so the only way it could have ended up like this is if the parents had abandoned the child and it starved to death. The cruelty of it stabbed at her heart and a burning begun to build in her stomach.

She turned to Carl and he had a vacant look in those blue eyes as he stared at the baby and realisation hit her in the head. Lori was pregnant and it was terrifying to think that that could be his little brother or sister in the crib.

"What if..." He started.

"It will never be Carl, so don't even think it!" She proclaimed like some prophet.

She slid her hand into his and gave a squeeze. "We can't leave it like this." She said just barely above a whisper.

"What should we do?" he asked.

They stared down at the growling child; she broke the connection of their hands and pulled her gun from its holster. "Get me a pillow." Carl followed her request and handed her one from the nearest camping bed. She grasped the soft material and held it over the crib, placing the gun barrel into the pillow. Her hands shook as she cocked the pin, tears spilling out and down her face as she squeezed the trigger ever so lightly.

A rush of air escaped her lungs as she dropped her arms and swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I can't." A small sob escaped her lips. "Not again." She sucked in a deep breath to compose herself.

"Here." Carl said. "I'll do it."

"No." She gasped. "It's not a nice feeling at all."

"Well we can't leave it like this!" His voice had raised a little and she felt the anger coil in her stomach.

"Do you think I wanna? Do you think I don't wanna just do it and not have to feel bad? It's not that easy Carl. The world is not just black and white!" she yelled. She didn't really understand that saying very well, but she knew it meant something like 'just right and wrong' or something.

He looked between her and the crib, her and the crib. "We'll do it together."

"Huh?"

"Here." He pulled her into his side putting her back to his chest and grasped the gun with her. "Hold the pillow over it." She did and she felt his finger on top of hers, his face so close next to hers she could feel his breath on her cheek. The feelings that coursed through her body was weird it was a mix of excitement and fear as her heartbeat raced in her chest. "Ready?" She nodded and they pulled the trigger.

* * *

_**So there it is. The hardest and most difficult chapter I've ever had to write. I hope it had the desired effect and I look forward to hearing from you.**_

_**Jada**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Not my best work, but this is drawing towards the last few chapters now and my inspirational blockage seems to be back in full swing. So I hope you enjoy and drop a review if you can.**_

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**_

* * *

When they'd loaded the truck and locked it up they'd made their way to the police station. As they walked the streets it was noticeable that some places had been boarded up in an attempt to save their business before they'd given up and abandoned them, but most now had their windows smashed out and glass and blood splattered the sidewalk. The thought that Walkers had gotten the better of whoever was inside was one thought, but it was the other option that sent a chill down her spine, the one that featured the living.

Both now stood standing down the street looking at their intended destination. Olivia looked back to see if their friends were anywhere in sight… Fat chance. 2 cop cars sat parked at the curb and the building looked untouched compared with the town.

"I don't like this." Daryl said in her ear.

"I don't like that this town seems to be almost walker free, but there could be weapons in there." Sarcasm filling her tone. "Maybe we should go round back and take a look?" She made to move when he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a beat up chevy. "What the hell?"

"Look." He pointed at the far right corner of the building where a few actual dead walkers could be seen piled up at the gate. "Think someone's inside."

"Then let's stick to the plan and approach from behind. I promise to be on absolute stealth mode. Scouts honour" She raised her two fingers and looked him square in the eye with a smirk. "Ah, is my little Daryl scared we'll get hurt?" She put her fingers at his chin and gave it a little shake.

"Shut-up." He knocked her hand aside with a grin he couldn't quite hide. She loved the playfulness of their relationship, when Daryl was more relaxed and wasn't so sullen and almost brooding.

"You think we should wait for Maggie and Glenn." She said with a raised eyebrow. "I can see it all over your face." She pressed when he tried to keep his usual stoic expression. The silence that fell over them was filled with a tension that bordered on uncomfortable when she saw the pain behind his eyes at the thought of one of them getting hurt. She felt it too, but if they could just get close enough to even look inside a window she'd be satisfied and come back with reinforcements.

She could see he was still unsure so she did the one thing she said she wouldn't do. She started playing the favourites game. "Jackson would have trusted that we could do this." She said indifferently and watched the slight jealousy flicker across his face to replace his doubt. She hated herself for doing it, knowing the little competition between the two was never off the table and knew she'd have some major sucking up to do later for playing that card, but she had faith in Daryl's abilities as well as her own that they would be fine no matter what they found in there.

"Move." He said gruffly and she knew she was in the doghouse for sure.

They kept low as they moved down the street, ducking behind any object that could shield them if anyone opened fire. The emerald green of the stations perfectly manicured lawn seemed out of place amongst the craziness of the rest of the world, but then again nature now had the reins once again on how it saw fit to grow.

They reached the chain link fence that ran along the outer building and into the mass of trees behind it with barbed wire running along the top. "Stick to the trees and stay close" He told her - Like this was her first go on the merry-go-round. Under the shade of the trees the air felt cooler and the approaching winter was more obvious as the breeze seemed to find every possible route inside her clothing causing her to shudder. She watched Daryl move as if he was part of the scenery and she admired the ease with which he made look. Over the last couple of months she'd gotten back most of her stealthier hunting skills from childhood and earlier taught lessons, but she still didn't have the quiet grace that Daryl seemed to have as he maneuvered his way easily through the thick foliage.

"There." he said, breaking her from her often visited analysis of him. She looked to where he was pointing and there was a few walkers pressed together in a tight bunch against the fence, scraping and gnawing at the body of something unrecognizable to both of them. "Not that." He chastised her and pulled her chin to look at what he was focusing on.

"Oh." She spotted the slightly opened window.

"That's our in."

She scanned the fence line and spotted the best point of entry before she pulled her sack from behind her back, taking the wire cutters and plastic zip ties from inside it. "I'll clip the edge of the fence. There's more coverage for me to slip in unnoticed. If those things start for us, take 'em out." She said in a rush. "I'll use these suckers to seal the hole and I'll let you in the front doors so be ready."

"You sure 'bout this? I think I should go in first." She shot him a look of annoyance and puffed out a breath of agitation.

"I can handle myself Daryl. Plus I'm smaller and won't need to make as big a hole. I don't have many of these you know." She said with obvious aggravation and holding up the zip ties. Even though she knew he was just worried, she wasn't some weak little girl and she could put most of the guys on their asses, but it drove her a little insane that the men in this group felt the need to act like typical alpha males whenever one of the women were around and she hated having to always justify why it was easier for her to go instead. Jackson and Glenn had learnt to not question, now she just had to prove it _agai_n to her _almost_ big brother. They had after all come to be like one big dysfunctional family.

"Point taken." Daryl muttered.

She moved closer to the fence using the tree to cover the nice sized hole she was making. The feasting walkers hadn't noticed them or moved from their meal of which she was thankful and she pulled the fence a little way back to give herself just enough room to slip through. She slid her pack first and then Daryl took hold of the metal wire so she could follow suit. They zip tied the fence back in place and he gave her a look of what she assumed was Daryl's form of encouragement and they both ran along the edge of the fence, one on each side.

"Go." He whispered, Crossbow poking through the fence at the window.

She moved closer to the windows ledge keeping low, her gun in hand, but she'd have to holster it if she wanted to climb up and get into the building. She looked back at her partner and he nodded his ok so she lifted the window and peered over the ledge into the dim police station. There didn't appear to be any movement, dead or otherwise, so she hoisted herself up and dropped silently onto the wooden floor. A quick assessment of her surroundings told her she was fine for the time being, but she got the sense that she wasn't alone and she needed to get the main door open so Daryl could back her up if so.

She gave a thumbs up through the window and knew he would make his way round to the front, then keeping low she moved around the huge desk inside the office quietly. Opening the smoky glass door an inch, she peered out into the barely lit hallway; the blue carpet looking like it hadn't been treated the best and she slipped out closing the door behind her. The daylight filtered in through the two other – most probably offices as well – doors to her right, but it was still fairly dark in the small corridor. At the end of it she just made out the plaque that read 'Changing Rooms' and noted it for later investigation. Police kept all kinda things in their lockers.

She moved left and after a minute or so, found herself amongst rows of cubicles, navigating them with ease she noticed all the computers still sat neatly on their desks, a coat of dust lying on top like grey snow, stopping when she spotted a can of soda sitting on the desk beside her - the urge to reach out and take it was overwhelming, they hadn't found any of this type of sugary delight in a while – but she shook her head. 'Need to let Daryl in first.' She thought.

Continuing slowly and stealthily through the small maze of fabric covered MDF dividers she came to the main desk, the signature swinging wooden door that all police stations in movies have, catching her attention. It contrasted with the more modern clean lines look the place had obviously been going for. She pushed against the wood slowly and it groaned under the pressure, she stilled and quickly scanned her surroundings. A rustling sound from down the corridor to her right and quiet whispering caught her attention, so she bounded over the wood, running towards the main doors as quickly her legs would move.

When she finally made it to the double doors she could hear the thudding of footfalls closing in on her. Daryl was nowhere to be seen and she cursed his skinny white ass for it. "They're at the doors." She heard from down the short corridor. She begun flinging the bolts back that were fitted to the frame and down the centre, the biggest were about 2ft tall and inch thick metal bars. Just as she begun to pull the last two heavy bolts on the top arms came around her waist and across her chest, they pulled her backwards and she managed to slip one arm free of the heavy set grip, ramming her elbow back and connecting with an eye.

"Shit." He cursed at the unexpected blow and his grip loosened as he brought his arm that was across her chest up to the injury. Seeing her opportunity she spun around in his arm that still grasped her waist and head-butted him as hard as she could and she watched his nose explode and blood splatter over his lower face. She pulled her gun as he stumbled backwards, both his hands now holding his broken nose, before a slight dizziness almost overwhelmed her – she might have just given herself a slight concussion, but there was no time for that – more bodies scrambled from down the tiled walkway and she knew she would be dead if she didn't do something soon.

She grabbed the injured man and spun him so his back was pressed against her chest, her arm locked around his throat tightly as she held the gun to his temple; she wouldn't make the same mistake he did. Just then an older man came down the way with 2 younger men flanking his sides, but they were still older, maybe 30's, and they all held guns.

"Now, now missy, there's no need for that sort of behaviour. We're cops, we…"

"I don't care what you are!" she cut him off, her voice filled with disdain. These were not the police; she wasn't that stupid or naïve, their whole body language read a different story.

The man in the middle appeared to be their leader, his light brown hair had grey scattered throughout his head and he held himself like a man of importance, his arrogant stance a show of his self-appointed power. The man to his right had dirty blonde hair that was a little overgrown and unkempt, but his piercing blue eyes stood out much more than his gun. The man to his left was dark, his olive skin and almost black, brown hair was cut military style. They were a complete opposite of one another, but they were both obviously loyal to this man and she wondered what made him so special?

"I got a shot Burt." The brown haired man to the left informed. Thanks dude, now she knew Burt was Mr Arrogant's name.

"No, no, no, Eric. She's just a scared little thing ain't ya."

She smiled sweetly at him and tightened her hold around her prisoner's neck. "Ask your friend how little I am?" She tugged hard against his throat and pushed the gun deep into his temple.

The man choked and pulled against her forearm trying to relieve the pressure. "Don't be fooled by her size." He choked out. "She packs a mean one." He chuckled through ragged breathes.

"She sure gave you one." The dirty blonde man on Burt's right laughed out.

A thumping from behind caught her attention and she glanced behind her quickly spotting Daryl, a relieved sigh fell from her lips and she grinned smugly back at the men in front of her. "While it was nice talking to ya, my ride is here, so I'll just be going." She began moving backwards with her captive, who was being less than compliant - her eyes never leaving the men in front of her, their guns raised and pointed, following her every move. She tightened her grasp and whispered in his ear. "Now, play nice or I might just have to do something you'll regret."

"You never know Darling, I might just like it." He countered and kissed the air at her. Dusgust filling her senses.

She made it to the door and kicked the man's legs from under him, sending him crashing to his knees. She pressed the gun into the back of his head and pulled the final locks down from the door. She pulled against them, but they still stayed firmly in place. She looked over the frame, she hadn't missed any bolts, they were all undone.

"You see little one. You also need these." Mr Arrogant taunted. She looked at the jingling keys he held, he stomach turning as she realised her fate.

She turned and locked eyes with the man she'd come to love like her own blood, tears threatening to fall, but she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing them. Daryl shook his head on the other side, pushing at the doors with all his strength.

"Get her weapon." She heard Burt command. She thought about turning around and letting off a few shots, but it was yanked from her hand. "Her knife too." Her former captive leant around and tried to take her favoured weapon from its sheath. She turned her body quickly before he could, a snarl breaking out onto her face. "You don't touch that!" She growled.

"Now come on little one." Burt stated. "Give it to him and behave yourself. Or the pleasantries will turn sour." His expression feigning hurt. "And I really don't want that." the underlying anger slipping through his mask. She shot him a look of defiance, but gave her blade over reluctantly, knowing she just needed to buy herself some time. He and the darker haired man turned away chattering quietly enough that she couldn't hear, but the dirty blonde kept his vigil, his gun trained on her.

Her eyes once again met Daryl's and all she could do was watch as he began kicking and pounding against the glass. "That there is reinforced glass." The bloodied man breathed into her ear, the metallic scent of blood and his rotten breath almost made her gag. "This whole place has it." He stroked the side of her face, the feeling of nausea rising in her stomach as he kissed her on the cheek, but she remained still not wanting to react. "Your boyfriend was a lucky man." He ghosted his hands down her arm and back up again before grasping her throat. "But now…You're gonna pay for damaging my beautiful face."

Daryl continued to pound against the glass, his face full of rage, his nostrils flared when the man beside her waved at him with a smile, his teeth gritted and bared like a wild animal.

"Wave goodbye to him." He taunted, his hand releasing her neck.

She tried to tell him with her eyes to go get the others and that she would be fine, but he was so worked up she didn't know if he could read it. He stopped and his chest heaved with his exerted breathing. He understood.

She turned away then, looking at Burt, her eyes finding his. "Let's get this over with." And she willingly gave herself over to her fate.

* * *

_**All mistakes are my own. Next chapter should be up sometime next week.**_

_**Jada x**_


	19. Chapter 19

_Sorry for the long hiatus, but life and wirters block have had me stuck over my current stories and i'm hoping it finally over. This a dark chapter and i apologise for any spelling mistakes in advance. Hope you enjoy_

_Trigger warning: Themes of Rape, but no graphic detail._

* * *

Lilly walked slowly down towards the waiting convoy with Carl beside her. This numb feeling was something she thought she was finally done with and even as her hand slipped into Carl's; the warmth that usually filled her being at their contact was no longer there. She felt nothing. It was the same feeling she'd had when she'd killed Josh, a kind of disconnection from her body like when you're watching yourself in a dream or something.

Carl tugged on her hand just before they reached the adults who were scattered amongst their vehicles. "Don't talk about it or tell ok." She saw him visibly gulp and looked into his eyes; his blue irises were no longer the sky bright colour they'd been when they were excited about finding the candy, now they looked dull and dead and she wondered if he felt the same sort of numbness as her? "And try not to look so…so…Just act happier. Your face looks guilty. We only did what was right ya know!" She scrunched her eyebrows at him, a puff of air leaving her nostrils and she pursed her lips wrenching her hand from his. He flinched at the action. She didn't need to speak; she knew her face said all she needed. Storming off ahead of him she saw Jackson raise his eyebrows at her oncoming form, but she had no time for his stupid questions.

She made her way to the nearest vehicle and tore the door open, jumping in and slamming it closed roughly. She pulled the magazine out of the back pocket of the driver's seat and threw it on the floor at the stupid girly pictures before noticing the comic book that slipped out of its insides; she focused her rage into reading to try and calm her temper, but despite being angry at her friend for a reason she wasn't quite sure of, she couldn't be mad at him because at least he'd made her feel something.

Tears welled in her eyes as what they had done actually sunk in. Maybe sitting here alone wasn't such a good idea? It gave her too much time to think. Yes the baby was technically already dead and yes it was better that they put it out of its misery, but it was still another piece of herself that was now tainted by the darkness of this new world, shaping her into one of the cold and uncaring bad guys she'd read about in comics and newspapers. Someone who didn't care about any collateral damage or about how mean they treated people because if the darkness gets you, you might just end up lost. That's what Olivia told her and that's why she couldn't let herself keep wandering into it. She wasn't alone in her trek this time though, Carl had been wondering into it with her. It seemed like he preferred it there.

The door opened and Jackson slid in next to her, shutting it behind him and standing his rifle between his legs. She didn't look at him though, she was trying to just ignore his big idiot self.

"You two have a lover's quarrel?" he asked. Her head whipped in his direction so quickly she's surprised her neck didn't snap.

"What?" she yelled at him, her attempt at being ignorant failing.

"Whoa…" He held his hands up in defence. "I was kidding Lil's." He added swiftly. Her eyes cut into slits of contempt at the use of the nickname he knew she hated before she turned back to her comic and tried to continue to ignore him further. "Lilly did he hurt ya?" she heard the hint of panic in his voice and thought of lying to get her friend into trouble with the adults, but she couldn't be bothered with the trivialness of it. She let the silence linger for a few moments more.

"No. He's just a stupid dumb boy." She spat the words like they had left a nasty taste in her mouth, her anger making it too hard to keep it closed. The tears spilled from her lids and she swiped at them angrily, this show of weakness fuelling the fires of her rage.

"Bein' of the same gender and livin' through them years myself. I totally agree wit ya." He nodded as he spoke.

"What?" she asked confusedly.

"Boys aren't like girls Lilly. Specially not at that age. They don't really think 'bout what they sayin' or how it's gon' make other people feel."

"And just how many years ago was that for you huh? Cause from the looks of it times have changed quite a bit since then. Not to mention the fact that we're in the middle of a full on apocalypse, so your reasoning is invalid. It's completely different!" She stated flatly, her eyes showing no emotion.

He pondered before he spoke once more. "True, but he's still just a boy and no different than the rest."

She scoffed at his attempt to reason away Carl's behaviour because he was 'A Boy'. "Well there aren't a lot of people left, so he won't be like the rest cause the rest are dead and trying to eat us!" Her words were filled with venom and her pent up rage was coming to the boil. Her body physically shook with it. "Can you just leave me alone!" she screamed at him, her fists clenching the comic.

He sighed and exited the vehicle quietly. She was thankful he hadn't tried to push the subject any further and she was sure he'd go find Beth to get her to talk it out. This stupid group was starting to really get on her nerves and she wished it was just her and Olivia. She fingered her necklace at the thought of her big sister and she hoped she returned soon. In truth she just wanted to hug her and she knew it would all be alright.

* * *

The rope rubbed against her wrists and chafed her skin; she could only imagine the red rawness of her flesh. She had been tied to the wooden chair for a little over an hour according to the wall clock and her stomach growled loudly as a hunger pang gripped at it making her feel nauseous. She hadn't eaten anything substantial since last night; she'd opted for only half a tin of canned fruit this morning too as she couldn't eat the fish they'd caught, it was the one meat that she'd never liked, well Lamb too after a particularly nasty case of food poisoning from it – not that that would be on the menu anytime soon - and she couldn't afford being sick right now.

The door opened and Burt casually strolled inside flanked by his two henchmen. He pulled another wooden chair and placed it directly opposite her about a metre or so away. She remained quiet watching his every move, looking for any signs of a weak point as he'd lifted the chair and found none.

He was a well-built man for his obvious age; from what she could decipher he was in his late 40's to early 50's, the little crinkles at the side of his eyes and the fairly deep ridges in his forehead were the only real signs he was an older man, but his eyes told her a different story, they were filled with a hardness that she would consider dangerous, they held stories and hardships she'd never know, that probably had a shit load of blood attached to them. In those depths of almost black irises she could see that he didn't care about who got hurt as long as he got what he wanted. That didn't bode well for her chances of getting out of here alive. She just needed to remember to hold out until opportunity arose.

He remained quiet as he stared at her, his head moving from side to side in contemplation, the two lackies were standing vigilant on either side of him like soldiers following their captain. The thing is she was the master of this game - her Grandfather had made sure of that from a young age, he'd made her practice with many of his friends in his lifetime - she never broke under someone's gaze.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He sighed. She smiled remaining silent, relishing in the little victory of trouncing his obvious attempt to show his power over her.

She shrugged indifferently, keeping her features bland and free from emotion. An audible sigh passed her lips and she relaxed into the chair, looking around the room casually as if she were bored. The blonde smiled as she made eye contact with him before she brought her gaze back to Burt's with aloofness.

His expression changed quickly to one of annoyance and he was on his feet in seconds, only an inch or so from her face. She could feel the heat of his breath on her lips and his eyes bore into hers with fury. She kept her face as schooled as possible, but the smell of his sweat and scent from his lips only served to send another churn in her stomach. "You're smart little one. You've been trained well."

The quick opening of the door tore both their attention and the man whose nose she'd bloodied came barging in with a look of apprehension on her face. "Papa, it's Helena. She's not doing do good." He informed Burt. She was shocked to say the least that Burt was bloodied nose guys father. They didn't look alike at all.

"I'll be along in a minute boy. How's ya face?" he asked.

"I'll live." He replied looking directly at Olivia. She smiled sweetly at him and batted her eyelids. She could see the slight bruising that had begun to appear under his eyes and smirked at his scowl.

She couldn't help herself as taunting words left her mouth. "Anytime you want me to fix that problem, I'll be more than happy to do so."

"You bitch!" He yelled and rushed forward, slapping her hard across the face. She felt the tear of flesh as her lip split and the metallic taste of blood gushed into her mouth. Her cheek burned from the impact, but she gritted her teeth so no sounds would leave her body.

She held her head to the side for a few seconds to regain her composure; she sucked in the blood, hocked and spat it at his feet with a grin. "You hit like a girl." He raised his hand once again and she readied herself for the impact. Before it could descend Burt grabbed his son's hand and shook his head.

"Go check on Helena. I'll be there in a minute." The Father and son stared at one another in silent battle before the younger man gave in and stormed out of the room. "Boys..." Burt directed. "Can I have the room for a minute." Eric shot him a questioning look. "I'll be fine. She's secure. Go check on my daughter and I'll be there shortly." The dark head nodded at his master, then at the blonde and they both left closing the door quietly behind them.

"Now it's just you and me pops. Ain't you lucky?" Her sarcasm was in full swing.

He chuckled and turned back to her in his chair, folding his arms and sitting back like he was lounging on a couch. "You are a firecracker little one. I'm gonna have fun breaking you." He sat forward resting his elbows on his knees. His teeth grabbed at his bottom lip before popping back out. He reached out and ran his hand up her thigh and licked his lips. It was impossible to stop the involuntary shudder that ran down her spine and she could taste the bile as it rose in her throat. He came to his knees and ran his other hand up her other thigh, resting them at the tops and down the outsides, grabbing the two outer rungs of the chair. Her bottom lip quivered and he pulled himself forward looking straight at her. "Don't be scared little one. It will only hurt for a bit. I got some things to take care of first though and then we can have some fun. Then when I'm done with you, I'm gonna let my boys in here to play." He grinned wickedly at her. He laid a wet kiss to her throat and ran his tongue down to her collarbone and nipping at the flesh.

She looked up to the ceiling with a gasp of repulsion, a look of dread on her face. He pulled back and laughed. "He ain't gonna help ya."

She brought her head down in one quick move; just as she had done to his son, and connected with his, effectively knocking him back and he tumbled to the ground on his side holding his face. He was dazed as was she for a few seconds before her adrenaline kicked in, she pulled furiously at the ropes feeling the first trickles of blood as her skin tore open from her efforts. "Come on." She whispered through clenched teeth.

Suddenly one of her hands broke free; how she has no clue, but she wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. Moving down to her feet she hastily undid the rope at her ankle, springing from the chair she stood and stars clouded her vision. Wobbling on her feet she heard Burt groan and grabbed at his gun pulling it from the holster, shaking her head to try and clear it as darkness crept into her peripheral. "Get up." She said quietly, pointing the gun at him. "Now!" She growled.

She stepped away and out of his reach as he begun to move, blood caked her hands making them slippery and she had to wipe them against her pants so she didn't end up dropping the gun. "You really think you're getting outta here alive little one?" he asked, rubbing his head with a grimace.

"Well then I'll die trying."

"My son was right. You sure are stronger than you look. Damn near knocked me out."

"Sit." She commanded pointing to the chair she'd been occupying. His jaw clenched and flexed before he complied and sat.

"I can just yell out and they'll be in here in a flash."

"And I'll put a bullet straight in your head." She moved around the back. "Tie your feet." She commanded, she held the gun to the back of his head in warning when he didn't attempt to move and watched as he did as instructed. "Now put your arms through the first gaps of the chair."

"How you gonna tie me up and hold the gun at the same time huh?"

"Just watch me." He let out an indignant huff before complying and she begun wrapping the rope around each of his wrists with one hand, the other pressing the metal barrel into his scalp. However she needed both hands to tie the final piece. "Don't even think about calling out. I'll put one in the back of your head before they even turn the knob and then I'll use you for a shield as I shoot my way outta here. Understood?" she threatened, placing the gun by her foot when he nodded.

She tied the tightest knot she could manage, her adrenaline beginning to wear off. She rubbed her temples, picking up the gun she rested her forehead against the cool metal, her hands sticky from her own blood. She needed to think, she needed some time to form a plan, she needed...The door swung open once again. "Boss we gotta prob...Shit." The blonde stood shocked as he looked at his leader tied to a chair. She wondered where dear old Eric had gotten to when he didn't follow; she thought those two were attached by Burt's _chain_ of command. He hadn't spotted her crouched down behind him and his momentary lapse gave her the opportunity to get the upper hand. She stood abruptly, gun aimed at him. "Drop it." She called as he begun to raise his weapon, hands stopping when she clicked the trigger. He slowly lowered the weapon to the ground and raised his palms in surrender. "Close the door." She instructed, moving around the chair as he did what she said. She signalled with the gun for him to move away from it and moved to the weapon. She picked it up and tucked it in her waistband.

"What are you gonna do now little one?"

"Shutup!" The stars danced in front of her eyes once more and she blinked rapidly to try and rid herself of their annoying presence.

"Boss, Helena is not doing well at all." The apprehension in the blonde's voice was evident and she watched the older man's expression change to terror before he looked at her.

"Take her to the main door and let her leave." His words were quick and commanding. The change was disconcerting.

"What?" The blonde asked.

She heard the door handle turn and swung around as Eric came charging in totally unaware. Then it was like the world moved in slow motion. His eyes went wide at the scene before him and Burt screamed at him to 'Get her!' he begun to raise his gun, but she was quicker and the shot rang out before hitting him in the head, his lifeless body falling to the floor.

The darkness was inside her itching at her skin and mind telling her to do what she needed. She turned back to the blonde who'd been staring in stunned shock at the body, she held the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger, brain matter splattering over the floor just before his body joined it. She turned back to Burt and could see the disbelief, fear and rage all fighting on his face. He gulped visibly and she smiled at him, her inner darkness revelling in the feeling of power and freedom she felt.

She knew the bloodied nose son would be here any minute and she quickly removed Eric's weapon, Burt's earlier words played over and over in her head along with the images they conjured and she couldn't help but think about Lilly and what if…No! She looked around the room and spotted a flatbed trolley that would fit what she needed, grinning wickedly and sauntered up to the old man. She looked out of the door and still no one had come to rescue him which made her wonder just who else was actually here. "No one else coming for you Burt?" She circled him like a predator would its prey, her hands occasionally brushing against him. He remained silent. She wheeled the flatbed over and used what little strength she had left to hoist him on it. She climbed up and straddled his lap, her legs either side of the chair. "Let's go for a walk shall we."

She pushed him out of the room and they walked down a different corridor to the one she'd been in, it was a short one and the door had been left open that led into another one with 3 doors. She moved around him and weighed her options. "You can save me the time and tell me which one or I go through them one at a time and kill whoever I see first" he smirked. "Fine."

She cleared her throat. "HELP! Help me please!" she yelled. The 2nd door opened and out popped bloody nose, she shot him in the knee and then in the arm when he tried to reach for his gun. She quickly made her way down the way and kicked the gun from his reach. She scanned the room he had come from, there; on a bed, was a sickly looking little girl of maybe 12 or 13. Her closed eyes had dark circles underneath them and her frail frame was a whitish grey pallor.

"Don't touch her." Bloody nose growled. She turned and crouched down grabbing his chin between her fingers.

"How sweet, you want to protect her. But look at this." She pointed to the split in her lip. "You've messed up my pretty face and you're gonna have to pay." She stood quickly and ended him with one shot.

"You're sick."

"Ahh, he speaks. This is all your own fault. You should have just let me go." She opened the nearest door and found and empty office. She pulled bloody nose into it and then checked the final door. She hesitated at a sound from inside and readied herself for and attack. She put herself flush against the side wall and turned the handle slowly, pushing the door open. She peeked around the frame and what she saw sent what little contents she held in her stomach up and onto the floor. She wiped at the edge of her mouth and took big gulping breaths. She looked at her captive and the urge to blow his brains out was overwhelming.

"Papa." A small voice called out from the other room. Her eyes never left his though and she physically shook with rage.

"Please. Take me to her."

She looked back at the body tied to the bed. The handcuffs wrapped around each wrist and ankle; a mix of silver and red, attached to each corner on the metal frame and felt like she was looking at what would have been her own fate. The body suddenly gasped. "Please." It choked, scaring the shit out of her. "Kill me."

She spun on Burt. "She's still alive."

"My son. He had problems, but at least if I gave him someone else. I knew Helena would be safe." He confessed with sigh; almost as if the weight had been removed from his shoulders.

"Well he must have inherited then huh!" she replied with disdain.

"Please." The girl on the bed choked out. Olivia could only just look at her. "Kill me." She marched towards the bed and didn't even hesitate to put her out of her misery. She stormed back and slammed the door behind her, a chill running down her spine at the thought of what they had done to her. Burt's excuse that it was all his son just made her blood burn because she was no naïve child. Did he really think her that stupid to believe that they hadn't all had their share of that poor girl's body? Her eyes burned into the old man's and she saw his guilt, the little of it there was and wheeled him into the room that contained; who she guessed was, Helena.

"Who…are you?" the child whispered through her laboured breathes.

"My names Olivia."

"Why do you…have my…papa tied to…a chair?"

"He tried to hurt me."

"That's a lie baby!" he yelled. "Don't listen to her she's cra…" She punched the man square in the face. His howl of pain ensuring she'd done a nice job.

"No." She said calmly. "I don't lie!"

"I'm…dying. Aren't I?" Olivia looked at the young girl, her skin being that translucent grey that came on the verge of death, on the verge of turning and she couldn't lie to her.

"Yes. You are."

"At least…I won't be…one of them things." The last words were splattered out with a deep cough.

Olivia looked between Burt and his daughter, the man's sadness and deep pain was etched across his face.

"Was she not bitten?" she asked him.

"No."

'Didn't they know?' She thought. "How _long_ have you been here?" she thought he wasn't gonna answer when he looked at her sceptically.

"Pretty much since the beginning. Why?"

"And you haven't had anyone die that wasn't from a bite?"

"No." his voice held the same concern as his face now did. He didn't know!

She was about to tell him, but she stopped. The image of that girl in the room flitted behind her lids, butit was her own face she saw, so she let the battle between herself and the darkness end. The darkness won.

She moved slowly over to Helena's bed and looked down into the girl's frail face. Her pupils were small and her breathes were far and few between. Burt's cries went unheard as the nothingness filled her being. When the last breath came she closed the girl's lids and walked towards the door.

She stopped when the man asked her. "Are you just gonna leave me here?" his question breaking her from the blankness.

Slowly she moved; her eyes locking with his, and in a deadly calm voice she said. "When I leave here, I'm going to close this door and Helena will wake up and she will eat you."

His eyes went wide "What?" and panic set into his body.

"You turn when you die. Even if you're not bit." He slumped in the chair and looked at his daughter before turning back to Olivia.

"Please don't…"

"Goodbye Burt." And with that she closed the door.

She could hear him calling, pleading with her to come back, but she carried on down the corridor until she came to the armoury. Quickly she searched and grabbed what she could find, there wasn't much and she wondered where everything had gone if they'd been here since the beginning. She heard Burt scream Helena's name before a final howl came from the man and then all was silent.

* * *

_There it is. Please leave a review of you can and let me know what you think. i'm hoping to finish this in the next few chapters._

_Much Love _

_Jada_


	20. Chapter 20

_Disclaimer: See Ch1_

_Next chapter, took me ages to get it down on computer. Had it on paper for a while, but just didn't like it and spent major time editing and changing so apologies to anyone who has been patient with me and is still reading._

_Here goes._

* * *

Olivia's truck pulled up with a screech of tyres and Lilly watched through the window as everyone got out but her sister. Daryl was frantic as he shouted for Rick across the road and the man instantly was on his feet rushing towards him, Jackson following close behind. Lilly got out of the truck slowly and made her way to where all the men plus Maggie were standing around talking so quickly. Before she even reached them they broke apart and Rick, Daryl and Jackson started for the truck.

"Where's Olivia?" She asked Maggie. The woman turned to her and a look of fear and worry befell her features.

"She's in a little trouble sweetie, but she's…alive so they're gonna go get her right now ok." She stroked Lilly's hair as the others all came over and she felt Beth wrap her arms around her shoulders in a light hug before they asked Maggie what had happened. The other woman looked at Lori and Beth before she caught sight of her father and tears welled in her eyes. Lilly didn't know what they were all so upset about, if Olivia was alive then she would get out of whatever had her in trouble. Lilly knew exactly what her big sister was capable of!

"Olivia will be fine." Lilly stated matter of factly. "She's the strongest, most smartest person I know." They all looked at her strangely but with what she thought was pity. "You don't know her like I do." She continued with a serious tone. Carol joined them and asked the same question as the others.

"Lilly honey. Come with me." Lori motioned for her to come to her as the others looked to one another in that way that said they needed to talk. Beth's grip grew a little tighter, but only enough for Lilly to notice. She doesn't know why Beth was so protective of her; it was only Lori, but it did little to ease her tension despite making her feel quite loved.

"I don't need to be sheltered Lori. I want to know what happened." She said defiantly. The look on the other woman's face was hurt to say the least, but what did she expect. The world wasn't some playground of fun and rainbows anymore, it was dangerous and deadly. Keeping the reality of it from her wasn't an option. She looked to Carl who stood behind his mother and she stared blankly at him before turning away and locking her gaze with Maggie's, urging her to continue.

Before she could speak, Rick and the others came back over. "We've unloaded the truck and I've left a gun with Hershel, Carl and Maggie has theirs too. Glenn will stay with you guys we should be back shortly."

"Come on. It's almost been an hour." Daryl growled. Jackson was waiting in the truck engine ready. They all rushed away

* * *

She'd found some bandages in the first aid box on her search of the place and wrapped her wrists as best she could; thankfully she managed to find her knife sitting pretty along with it and the few weapons they'd had. Her adrenaline had waned and almost faded to nothing now; her body protesting at every step she forced her legs to take. She exited the station and made her way towards where they'd parked the truck. The bag she had filled with what little the police station had was heavy on her shoulders and the sun was still high in the sky, beating down against her bloody skin; she wondered where her sunglasses had gotten to, her eyes were hurting.

The truck no longer sat where she'd parked it, it was gone…they'd left her. She wanted to cry, scream and curse at them all, but she had nothing left to give; she was too exhausted. So she kept walking, the metals in her bag rattling against her thigh with every step. Screw'em, she could survive this all on her own. Didn't need any of them!

Her lip began to throb under the intense heat and she licked across the sore, swollen split to try an abate it. Her movements were slow and taxing and she tried to think of something to keep her on her feet, but all that came to mind was Julia Roberts. She was right! They must pull guys aside and teach them just how to hit a woman just in the right place…Yeah, she watched 'chick flicks', no judgement allowed! Her little sister had a whole wall of movies; that kid loved the TV more than she did.

Oh God Lilly. Her body began to slow even more and she was really sweating now, she could feel it running between the valley of her chest and down her spine. She kept her eyes on the long road lined with homes on either side, it wasn't a long journey back to the gated housing…maybe 30minutes or just over, but at her current pace it would be an hour before she made it; if she was lucky. She could make it! She could. That's when she saw it and relief flooded her body; the truck, it was ploughing down the road at full speed.

She stopped and waited as it drew closer; screeching to a halt a few feet from where she stood and 3 bodies came flooding out rushing towards her, she felt like she was on a boat swaying side to side before Daryl pulled her into a bone crushing hug and she saw relief fill his face. At the realisation of what he was doing her jarred back like a frightened doe, quickly returned to his usual scowl and cleared his throat. The three stood around her in a semi-circle, eyes scanning over her body like she was a prized bull and she suddenly felt a chill under their scrutiny.

"Are you ok?" Rick asked. She sighed deeply, but didn't get a chance to respond as Jackson cut in.

"I can't see any wounds except her lip."

"Where'd all the blood come from?" Rick asked with confusion. She looked down at her clothing that was covered in blood smears and she realised why they were staring. Her body felt like lead weight and she handed the guns to him in response. She was so tired.

"This was all I could find. They didn't have much." Her eyes closed involuntarily.

"I'll go back and do another…" Daryl began.

"NO!" She yelled. Her eyes bolted open and locked on his, her arm grabbed quickly at his with whatever little strength she had left, gripping tightly. "There's nothing there." She said a little more calmly, her eyes begging him to just leave it there.

"Olivia are you…" Jackson began, but she didn't hear the rest as her body finally succumbed and her legs gave out beneath her. Their voices were muffled in the darkness of her mind and she felt like she was in a dream. She could feel someone's strong arms underneath her as they carried her to a soft and warm place. "Move it!" she heard.

"She just passed out, she'll be fine." Another voice echoed in her head. "She's tough as ol' boots."

Someone stroked at her face and softly uttered. "Please God I hope so." Before she was consumed by the dark.

* * *

Lilly waited at the edge of their makeshift camp, the others had picked the house closest to the exit, 2 down from the one her and Carl had been in. Carl had probably told them it was empty or useless or something. They'd picked out rooms for the night and thankfully it had 5 bedrooms so it would be less squeezing together, Olivia would appreciate the breathing room once she got back. There'd only been 2 lone walkers inside and they'd been disposed of quickly and quietly. No electricity or generator meant a search for torches, candles and matches or those silly wind-up lights folks seem to love around here, but she hadn't moved from this spot.

They'd been gone for just under a half hour or so already and town wasn't that far, then she heard the engine and a whoosh as the truck rounded the corner at speed, pulling up rapidly and the men jumped out. She was at the doors before they had a chance to take a breath. "Where's Olivia?" but they ignored her as they pulled the limp, unconscious body of her sister from the back seats. Her body was covered in blood and face held a nasty forming bruise to accompany her busted lip. Tears sprang from her lids as Jackson rushed her to the house with everyone that had emerged at the sounds of the truck, their eyes fixed on the scene before them.

"Hershel!" Rick yelled, following next to the soldier like a shadow. They all fussed around as the 2 men entered the house and she stopped in her tracks as Daryl's slow movements caught her attention. She watched him casually get a bag from the truck; his cool and calm demeanour lit a fire in her belly at his lack of caring for her sister. She knew he and Olivia shared some weird connection, but at this moment he showed no concern for her well-being and it made her rage.

"What happened?" She demanded at him.

"Don't know kid." He pulled a cigarette from a box that seemed to appear from nowhere. "Passed out a'fore she could tell us anything." His voice held no emotion.

"Are you not worried at all?" She screamed at him. He didn't bat an eye at her almost tantrum.

"Nah, she's gonna be just fine. Don't see no point in worrying 'bout it." He dragged on his butt. "Dun'know what them pansies are panicking for." It was then that she through his baloney and saw his worry, but as usual he acted like an ass. At least that was Olivia's and most everyone else's opinion of him when he behaved like this. She scowled at him and went into the house.

It was frantic, everyone rushing around and grabbing things. Jackson was pacing at the top of the stairs and she bounded up onto the hallway landing. She could see they'd put Olivia into the end room that was going to be Daryl's and T-Dogs to share and Hershel was checking her over with Beth at his side.

"How is she?" She asked quietly. She wanted to rush in and yell at them to help her, but it wouldn't be helpful to Olivia.

"She's gonna be fine Lilly." Jackson replied, his voice shaky.

It seemed like time had slowed to nothing and she'd been standing there for hours, but in reality it had been less than 15 minutes when Hershel came out of the room. He looked down at her with those eyes that seemed to penetrate deep into your soul and know just what you needed to hear.

"She'll be alright." He started and Jackson stepped up behind her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder, Hershel's eyes flicking to his now and continued. "From my guessing she has a possible concussion. She got some bruising and a busted lip, but I can't tell if she's suffered any other injuries that have led to her unconsciousness. She's stable for now and I'm getting fluids into her. We just need to wait and see, I think mostly she just needs to rest. I think she's exhausted from putting up; what I can only guess is, quite a fight. Give her some time and we'll have to keep a close eye on her."

"Thank you Hershel." She said and extended her hand which he shook. Rick came up beside them and asked how Olivia was doing. She watched the concerned features of the 3 men, but Rick and Jackson seemed to wear almost identical looks and it made her wonder why she hadn't seen it before. Right now she didn't have time to study it, so she left them talking and walked slowly into the room. She sat in the small chair next to the bed watching the steady rise and fall of her sister's chest reassuringly and took Olivia's hand in her own that was limp in her palm.

"I was so worried about you. I thought…I mean I knew you would be back. I knew! They all kept looking at me like I was crazy, but I know you better than them. They're the crazy ones to think you weren't coming back." She looked at Olivia's face for any sign of awareness. She'd read that people who were unconscious could still hear what you told them. "You had all the guys worried, all of them. They were like panicked birds all fluttering around; it was kind of funny now that I think about it." Still she got no response. "Daryl says I shouldn't worry, he's right because you're tough and not scared of anything." She rose from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed softly, bringing herself closer to her sisters still form. "I was scared." She whispered. "I love you Olivia. Please get better quickly." She swore she felt a squeeze right then and she knew her sister would be fine!

* * *

_R&R if you can. Would really appreciate it._

_Jada_


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